BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands, July 29, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- ASM International N.V. (Nasdaq:ASMI) (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) said today that, because of an apparent misunderstanding of several statements made during its Second Quarter 2004 conference call on July 28, 2004, concerning the future profitability of its Front-End or wafer processing operations, the company is issuing the following clarification.
ASM International anticipates continued growth for its Front-end semiconductor equipment operations through the second half of 2004 with a further acceleration in 2005, based in part on the anticipated continued industry expansion, but more specifically on the strength of ASMI's recent technology wins across a broad range of product and process offerings, as well as customer spending plans outlined for next generation technology nodes. Based on these industry and customer roadmaps, ASM reiterated that its Front-end business segment is expected to achieve positive earnings from operations in 2005.
ASM's Back-end operations, represented by its 54% ownership in ASM Pacific Technology Ltd.(ASMPT), the world's largest manufacturer of assembly and packaging equipment for the semiconductor industry, have consistently achieved profitability every year since ASMPT was founded in Hong Kong, in 1976.
About ASM
ASM International N.V. headquartered in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, is a global company servicing one of the most important and demanding industries in the world. The Company possesses a strong technology base, state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, a competent and qualified workforce and a highly trained, strategically distributed support network. ASM International and its subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International and its subsidiaries provide production solutions for wafer processing (Front-end segment) as well as assembly and packaging (Back-end segment) through facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on NASDAQ (symbol ASMI) and Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol ASM). For more information, visit ASMI's website at www.asm.com
Safe Harbor Statement under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: All matters discussed in this statement, except for any historical data, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions and trends in the semiconductor industry, currency factors, litigation involving intellectual property, shareholder and other issues, commercial and economic disruption due to terrorist activity, armed conflict or political instability and other risks indicated in the Company's filings from time to time with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Authorities.
ASM is a registered trademark of ASM International.
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