Good morning Teri,
Some news:
Aehr Test Systems sees slowdown
after reporting 7.7% rise in sales
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.-- While reporting quarterly results,
Aehr Test Systems here said it now expects shipments of
semiconductor test products to be lower than in recent quarters
because of an industry slowdown due to the Asian financial
crisis and losses in the DRAM business.
The supplier of test systems and bare-die carriers said its net
sales rose 7.7% to $11.6 million in third fiscal quarter, ended
Feb. 28, compared to $10.7 million in the same period last year.
Aehr's net income increased 40.8% to $831,000 in the quarter
vs. $590,000 in the period a year ago.
But the company is anticipating a slowdown in the months
ahead. "Due primarily to current financial difficulties in the Asian
market and their effect on the company's current and prospective
customers, including the dramatic decline in DRAM prices and
lower levels of capital expenditures, we now expect shipments in
the fourth fiscal quarter to decline compared to those in recent
quarters," said Rhea Posedel, president of Aehr. "I would
further caution that the outlook for many of our key customers
remains uncertain, reducing our ability to anticipate the level of
orders for the next several quarters."
Posedel said the company remains optimistic about the industry
growth after the current business cycle ends. "Despite the current
weakness, this is a fundamentally strong global industry," he
said. "Therefore, we remain focused on our strategy of
developing the market for both our new MTX line of massively
parallel test systems and for DiePak, the reusable carrier which
allows for burn-in and testing of unpackaged integrated circuits.
These products address the industry's critical needs to lower
DRAM testing costs and reduce the size and cost of chip
packaging, and have outstanding potential over the long term." |
