ASM INTERNATIONAL CONFIRMS EARNINGS OUTLOOK


BILTHOVEN, The Netherlands, November 6, 2000 - ASM INTERNATIONAL N.V. (NASDAQ: ASMI – AEX: ASM) confirmed today its earnings outlook for the fourth quarter of 2000 of € 0.62 - € 0.64 per share. This is despite some slowing in the global market demand for wire bonders. The strength in ASM’s front-end business and a diverse back-end product portfolio are counter-balancing the recent softness in demand for wire bonders.

ASM Pacific Technology Ltd (ASMPT), the Company’s 55% owned subsidiary and the world’s second largest semiconductor assembly and packaging equipment supplier, is experiencing order volatility in its wire bonder business, which accounts for approximately 40% of ASMPT’s revenue. Orders from packaging foundries are slowing since late October and the company has seen some rescheduling of deliveries to later dates. Order intake from integrated device manufacturers remains solid and customer demand in other markets that are served by ASMPT, such as packaging related equipment for encapsulation, trim and form, unit singulation processes, and laser diode assembly, also remains healthy. ASMPT’s customer base is well balanced between packaging foundries and integrated device manufacturers.

The performance of ASM International’s front-end business remains robust, with superior strength for its state-of-the-art products for advanced applications such as SiliconGermanium, Atomic Layer Deposition and its cost-effective vertical furnaces and plasma equipment.

The Company believes that its strategy to be present in both the front end and back end segments of the semiconductor equipment market reduces the impact of business cycles on its operations and their combined performance.

ASM Pacific Technology, Ltd., headquartered in Hong Kong and with operations in China, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore, manufactures a broad line of assembly and packaging or back-end equipment for the semiconductor industry. ASM Pacific Technology common shares are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the symbol 522.

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 through their facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. ASM International’s common shares trade on NASDAQ National Market under the symbol “ASMI” and on the AEX Stock Exchange under the symbol “ASM”. More information on ASM can be found on its website at http://www.asm.com.
ASM International is under no obligation to update the guidance in this release.
Safe Harbor Statement under the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The statements regarding orders, earnings development and the effects of research and new products on ASM’s future, and other matters discussed in its 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 in the semiconductor industry, currency fluctuations, the timing of significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors, risk factors related to litigation and other risks indicated in filings from time to time with the SEC and Stock Exchange Authorities.
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