TOKYO -- Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) was named a recipient of Intel Corporation's prestigious 2002 Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) award, Intel's highest honor for its suppliers, for outstanding commitment to quality and performance by suppliers that provide products and services deemed essential to Intel's success. The company was given the award for its efforts in supplying Intel with coater/developers, etchers, and probers. TEL and 12 additional SCQI award winners were honored at a celebration in Burlingame, Calif. on March 26.

"This is TEL's third consecutive win of Intel's highest supplier quality award, SCQI," said Peter Silverman, director, Intel Lithography Capital Equipment Development. "TEL's leadership and dedicated effort in the areas of safety, quality, new technology, cost effectiveness and customer satisfaction led to this outstanding achievement. We recognize the support from TEL across multiple technical areas including coater/developers, etchers, and probers. Intel looks forward to working with TEL to exceed our expectations and capitalize on future opportunities".

"Intel is recognizing TEL with this esteemed SCQI award for a third year in a row," said Tetsuro Higashi, CEO and president, TEL. "One could have the impression that this award gets easier to win each year. As a matter of fact, it was the most difficult SCQI Award to achieve yet. As Intel keeps raising the bar of excellence, TEL works equally hard to meet that expectation. TEL and its employees are committed to the future success of our customers through our uncompromising pursuit and execution of world-class service and products."

The SCQI awards are part of Intel's Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement process, which encourages Intel's key suppliers to strive for excellence and continuous improvement. To qualify for SCQI status, suppliers must score at least 95 percent on a report card that assesses performance and ability to meet cost, quality, availability, delivery, technology and responsiveness goals. Additional information about the SCQI program is available at http://supplier.intel.com/quality/.

Intel also will recognize SCQI award winners today with an advertisement in the U.S., Europe and Asian editions of The Wall Street Journal.