SCHARDING, Austria--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 17, 2004--EV Group (EVG), a global supplier of wafer-bonding and lithography equipment, announced today that it has opened a second customer-support center in Japan with a significant increase in engineering staff to better serve its growing customer base in that country.
The EV Group Customer Support Center Kyushu is in Fukuoka, a city of 1.3 million people on the island of Kyushu. The island, which has become a focal point for emerging technology research, accounts for nearly one-third of Japan's semiconductor production.

"EV Group is committed to providing a strong service and support network, to ensure that volume production installations receive timely service and access to information," said Dr. Peter Podesser, chief executive officer of EV Group. "Moreover, Kyushu has established itself as a technology hotspot, which presents EV Group with opportunities to expand our customer base and participate in the significant R&D efforts underway in SOI, MEMs and nanotechnology."

EV Group Japan, which has had a regional sales and customer-support center in Yokohama for the past five years, is sponsoring an advanced-technology seminar covering MEMS, nanoimprint lithography (NIL) and plasma bonding on Aug. 27 in Fukuoka. The program will feature presentations by EVG and speakers from Japan's leading universities.

About EV Group
Founded in 1980, EV Group is a global supplier of wafer bonders, aligners, photoresist coaters, cleaners and inspection systems for semiconductor, MEMS and emerging nanotechnology markets. EV Group holds the dominant share of the market for wafer bonding equipment (especially SOI bonding) and is a leader in lithography for advanced packaging and nanotechnology. The company's unique Triple I approach (Invent - Innovate - Implement) is supported by a vertical infrastructure, allowing EV Group to respond quickly to new technology development, apply the technology to manufacturing challenges and expedite volume production. Headquartered in Scharding, Austria, EV Group operates via a global customer support network, with subsidiaries in Phoenix, Arizona; Cranston, Rhode Island; Yokohama, Japan; and Chung-Li, Taiwan.

For more information, visit www.EVGroup.com.
EV Group in Japan:
EV Group Customer Support Center Kyushu
No.2 5F Shin Nihon Bldg.
4-22, Daimyou 2-chome, Chuo-ku