Advantest Earns Supplier Excellence Award From Texas Instruments

TOKYO--(Marketwired - Apr 11, 2013) - Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) (NYSE: ATE) has earned the Texas Instruments (TI) 2012 Supplier Excellence Award. Advantest provides the M4841 pick-and-place test handler, which TI uses with its installed automated test equipment (ATE). This is the first time that Advantest has received this supplier award from TI.

Advantest has installed M4841 Dynamic Test Handlers at TI's manufacturing facilities around the world. The versatile handler's universal compatibility enables it to enhance the productivity of test platforms from Advantest as well as other suppliers.

TI's Supplier Excellence Award recognizes suppliers who contribute significantly to TI's business success through outstanding performance and continuous improvement in providing goods or services. Suppliers' efforts are assessed through a company-wide process used to communicate expectations and evaluate performance in six areas: cost, environmental and social responsibility, technology, responsiveness, assurance of supply and quality.

"As we work to strengthen TI's core processes, we are emphasizing the importance of execution in every role and organization," said Rob Simpson, TI's vice president of worldwide procurement and logistics. "We look to Advantest Corporation, as a key business partner, to help us achieve our priorities through outstanding execution, quality and performance. Advantest is an integral component of our mission to provide the products that help our customers transform the future, today."

"This award from TI exemplifies the strong and growing partnership between our companies," said Keith Lee, president and CEO of Advantest America, Inc. "We remain dedicated to maintaining and extending Advantest's leadership in technology and customer service for all aspects of semiconductor test and handling."

Advantest's M4841 Dynamic Test Handler is optimized for high-throughput parallel testing of complex ICs and packages including ball grid arrays (BGAs), chip-scale packages (CSPs), quad-flat packages (QFPs) and quad-flat no-leads (QFNs). It can substantially reduce the cost of testing high-volume devices used in consumer applications such as portable digital equipment and automotive electronics. The system is designed to maintain a high mean contact between jams (MCBJ) and includes an upgradable Tri-Temp capability as well as a soft-touch feature that safeguards singulated IC packages from scratches and other potential damage.

About Advantest Corporation
A world-class technology company, Advantest is the leading producer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and a premier manufacturer of measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also focuses on R&D for emerging markets that benefit from advancements in nanotech and terahertz technologies, and has introduced multi-vision metrology scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, as well as a groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tool. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. More information is available at www.advantest.com.