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Technology Stocks : PRI Automation (PRIA) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (936)	7/10/2000 6:46:22 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 1214

PRI Automation Announces PR1ORITY Service Partnership Program Innovative Program Simplifies Service Delivery to Semiconductor Manufacturers SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 10 /CNW/ -- PRI Automation, Inc. (Nasdaq: PRIA - news), the global leader in advanced automation systems and software to the semiconductor industry, today announced PR1ORITY Service Partnership(SM), a customer service program that simplifies the delivery of automation services and support into a comprehensive yet easy-to-manage program. The PR1ORITY Service Partnership program sets a new standard for customer service in the semiconductor market by combining world-class customer service, technical support, training and consulting services with new technologies, like the Internet. Manufacturers now have more control in selecting the type of service programs they need to meet their manufacturing requirements. "The goal of the PR1ORITY Service Partnership program is to enhance the relationships with our customers by providing more of the critical services they require to run their fabs," said Ed Samaha, Vice President of Customer Support, PRI Automation. "We see the Internet as one of the key enabling technologies in delivering higher value-added services to our customers and today's announcement is the first step in moving us in that direction." "PRI has built up a tremendous knowledge base over the past ten years by helping customers automate the flow of materials throughout the fab," stated Ed Strenk, Director, Customer Support Marketing for PRI Automation. "The PR1ORITY Service Partnership program leverages that expertise in a customer service program that is unique in our industry. We listened to our customers as we were designing the program to target their most critical service requirements. We have almost doubled the size of our training space to support this program including a new world-class software training lab, and we are bringing our training and certification to the Web with the e-volution(TM) system." "As we began developing our Web-based service delivery strategy for our new e-volution system, we looked for a company that had a proven track record in delivering web-based mission critical applications," continued Strenk. We selected Generation21 Learning Systems because of their expertise in delivering the kind of web-based solutions we were looking for." "Generation21 has been at the forefront of building web-based tools and applications for a variety of high technology companies for many years," said Michael Watkins, president of Generation21 Learning Systems. "PRI saw that there was a real opportunity within their industry to utilize our expertise and develop a comprehensive web-based service program through our Total Knowledge Management (TM) (TKM(TM)) system. As the Web becomes more of an integral part of a semiconductor manufacturer's overall business strategy, programs like PRI's PR1ORITY Service Partnership can help simplify the management of their global service programs." The PR1ORITY Service Partnership program provides three key benefits. Customers can reduce costs with a fixed yearly service rate, instead of the more traditional variable pay-per-need system. Secondly, PRI Automation's Total Spares Management program maximizes fab operating efficiency through a reliable program that is devoted to decreasing spares costs and guaranteeing equipment availability. Finally, by putting common equipment troubleshooting information online through the new e-volution system, PRI's customer service engineers can more quickly respond to shop floor events to keep the automation systems running at peak performance and uptime. Key components of the PR1ORITY Service Partnership program include: -- Total Spares Management - a program designed to take time-consuming spares logistics away from the customer by supplying them with an automatic ordering and inventory system managed by PRI. -- e-volution - an internet-based training and knowledge management system. -- Three distinct levels of service to meet customers' personalized business needs. -- Consulting services, like System Performance Audits and Tool Performance Audits, which allow customers the opportunity to ensure their automation equipment is functioning at peak performance levels to meet their production demands. About PRI Automation PRI Automation, Inc., headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, is the leading global supplier of advanced factory automation systems and software to semiconductor industry. PRI provides a complete hardware and software solution that optimizes the flow of materials and information throughout the fab improving the productivity of semiconductor manufacturing. The company has thousands of systems installed at approximately one hundred locations throughout the world. For more information, visit PRI online at www.pria.com. For further information Michael J. Greeley of Stauch Vetromile & Mitchell, 401-438-0614, michaelg@svmmarcom.com or Jeffrey Nestel-Patt of PRI Automation, 978-670-4270, jnestel-patt@pria.com