AUSTIN, Texas - Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL; Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; C.E.O., President: Tetsuro Higashi) was named a recipient of Intel Corporation' prestigious 2001 Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) award for outstanding commitment to quality and performance by suppliers that provide products and services deemed essential to Intel' success. The company was awarded for its efforts in supplying Intel with coater/developers, etchers, probers and PVD tools. TEL is the first multi-product capital equipment company to win the SCQI award for two consecutive years. TEL and eleven additional SCQI award winners will be honored at a ceremony in Burlingame, Calif. on March 13.

"Congratulations again to TEL for winning Intel's highest supplier quality award for the second consecutive year. TEL's continued focus on safety, quality, new technology leadership, cost effectiveness and customer satisfaction has led to this outstanding achievement. We recognize the tremendous effort and support from TEL across multiple technical areas, including Coater/Developers, Etchers and Probers. Intel looks forward to working with TEL as we raise expectations and expand opportunities for future success," said Peter Silverman, director of Intel's Lithography Capital Equipment Development.

Tetsuro Higashi, TEL group president, commented, "On behalf of the TEL employees worldwide, I thank Intel for recognizing TEL as a winner of the prestigious SCQI award for the second year in a row. An award such as this raises our service level expectations. Our people have truly risen to the occasion to maintain the demanding service levels required to meet and exceed the SCQI level of performance. This award reflects the commitment we have made to customer success through world-class customer service. We hope to employ what we have learned from Intel to make us a better company for all of our customers."

The SCQI awards are part of Intel's Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement process that encourages Intel's key suppliers to strive for excellence and continuous improvement.

To qualify for SCQI status, suppliers must score high on a report card that assesses performance and ability to meet cost, quality, availability, technology and responsiveness goals. Suppliers must also manage and deliver on a challenging improvement plan and a quality systems assessment.

Intel also recognized SCQI award winners on March 12th with an advertisement in the U.S., European and Asian editions of The Wall Street Journal.