Shin-Etsu Handotai Group Receives Intel's Preferred Quality Supplier Award

March 14, 2002 – Vancouver, WA

The Shin-Etsu Handotai Group was named a recipient of Intel Corporation’s 2001 Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award for outstanding performance in providing products and services deemed essential to Intel’s success. The company received this award for its efforts in supplying Intel with silicon wafers. Shin-Etsu and 24 additional PQS award winners were honored last night at a celebration in Burlingame, Calif.

“Shin-Etsu Handotai Group has demonstrated silicon wafer technology leadership, showing continuous improvement in their product quality and speed of adding new capacity,” said Bruce Leising, vice president of Intel’s Technology and Manufacturing Group and general manager Fab/Sort Manufacturing. “SEH's high quality silicon wafers and their responsiveness to our business and technology needs have enabled us to once again achieve the fastest new technology ramp in Intel’s history.”

“It is an honor for the Shin-Etsu Handotai Group to receive this award,” said SEH President Dr. S. Koyanagi. “Our group is committed to providing our customers with the best quality and service. We believe the recognition for this award is a result of hard work by our dedicated employees around the world.”

The PQS awards are part of Intel’s Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) process that encourages suppliers to strive for excellence and continuous improvement. To qualify for PQS 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 will also recognize PQS award winners with an advertisement in the U.S., European and Asian editions of The Wall Street Journal on March 14.

Intel, the world’s largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.

The Shin-Etsu Handotai Group, a part of the Shin-Etsu Chemical Corporation of Japan, is the world’s largest manufacturer of silicon wafers, the basic foundation material of the semiconductor world. SEH has manufacturing facilities and sales offices located in Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Europe, and the U.S. More information about Shin-Etsu Chemical and the Shin-Etsu Handotai Group can be obtained from http://www.shinetsu.co.jp/e/index.shtml.

For further information contact:
Corporate Communications
SEH America, Inc.
(360) 883-7055

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