BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands, Oct. 24, 2000 (PRIMEZONE)-- ASM INTERNATIONAL N.V. (Nasdaq:ASMI) (AEX:ASM) announces that it has voluntarily withdrawn its Registration Statement on Form F-3 filed on September 6, 2000 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to address concerns by the SEC about the transaction's structure. ASM International and Canadian Imperial Holdings Inc., the Investor in this transaction, are working to restructure the Equity Line and plan to file another Registration Statement on Form F-3 in due course
The Equity Line was entered into on July 6, 2000 in conjunction with a $75 million loan facility, of which $69 million was taken down, which the Company received from Canadian Imperial Banking Corporation. The proceeds were used to finance the purchase of approximately 5% of the outstanding shares in ASM Pacific Technology Ltd, the Company's subsidiary that operates in the semiconductor assembly and packaging equipment markets, bringing ASM International's share holding to almost 55%.
The terms of the loan facility that is secured by a portion of ASM International's share holding in ASM Pacific Technology will not change. Early October, the Company made, in addition to its $6 million three-month regular repayment of the loan, an additional $4 million repayment of the principal.
ASM International is headquartered in Bilthoven, the Netherlands. ASM International's subsidiaries design, develop, manufacture and market equipment and materials used to produce semiconductor devices. ASM International and its subsidiaries provide production solutions for the wafer processing, assembly and packaging segments of the semiconductor equipment market through their facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International's shares trade on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol "ASMI" and on the AEX-Stock Exchange in Amsterdam under the symbol "ASM".
Safe Harbor Statement under the U.S, Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this release that are not historical may be deemed forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. 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, uncertainties concerning the state of the semiconductor equipment market and the Company's ability to compete successfully in this market. For a more complete description of the risks and uncertainties that face the Company, please see the documents filed from time to time by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission and AEX-Stock Exchange.