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To: robert b furman who wrote (3513)6/2/2004 9:33:32 AM
From: Proud_Infidel  Respond to of 3813
 
Novellus to Acquire Germany's Peter Wolters AG
Wednesday June 2, 9:31 am ET
Transaction will broaden product portfolio for industrial markets and augment core CMP technology

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novellus Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVLS - News) today announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Peter Wolters AG, a privately held manufacturer of high-precision machine manufacturing tools headquartered in Rendsburg, Germany. The transaction will add a series of industry-leading machine tools to Novellus' existing portfolio and broadens the company's non-IC-related business and technology portfolio. The deal will also bring a chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) product line that will augment Novellus' existing CMP technology for semiconductor manufacturing. The acquisition is expected to close in the beginning of the third quarter of 2004.

Novellus only recently established its position in the machining equipment and CMP areas with its acquisition of SpeedFam-IPEC, Inc. in 2002. Peter Wolters boasts a 200-year history and a market leadership position in the supply of lapping, grinding, polishing and deburring products for fine-surface optimization of metal, glass, ceramics, plastics and, more recently, nano- range semiconductor materials. The company's lapping and grinding core technology will be merged with Novellus' SpeedFam industrial business, and the combined product lines will be marketed under the Peter Wolters name.

Peter Wolters' tungsten and dielectrics-centric CMP technology will be incorporated into Novellus' existing CMP product line and will complete the company's toolset for both metal and dielectrics applications. The acquisition will also bring intellectual property to Novellus, together with a bank of talented system design engineers and a proven management team. Peter Wolters' proximity to Eastern Europe will provide access to this growing market for Novellus' entire portfolio of IC and non-IC products.

Said Novellus' chairman and chief executive officer, Richard S. Hill, "The compatibility of our product lines makes this acquisition a very good fit for both companies. Peter Wolters' reputation for innovative technology and well- engineered, highly reliable and cost-effective equipment matches the strategy that has defined Novellus' success. The combination of Peter Wolters' technology with Novellus' worldwide service and support infrastructure will present customers with a powerful new vendor source to support their most advanced needs."

Commenting on the deal, Peter Wolters' president and chief executive officer, Udo Hieber, said, "As a leading supplier of fine-grinding technology, we are extremely pleased to expand our horizons through this transaction with Novellus. Since 1804, our company's cutting-edge machine tools have been used across a wide range of industries. Most recently, our market opportunities have expanded to include such areas as aerospace, consumer durable goods, automotive and electronics. We're looking forward to joining forces with Novellus."

"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

The statements regarding (i) the effects of the addition of the Peter Wolters products to Novellus' existing product lines; (ii) the expectation that the transaction will close and that such closing will occur in the beginning of the third quarter of 2004; (iii) the benefits of adding Peter Wolters engineers and management to the Novellus organization; (iv) the expectation that Eastern Europe will be a growing market for Novellus' IC and non-IC products; (v) the compatibility of the two companies' product lines; and (vi) the effects of the combined technology of Peter Wolters AG and Novellus in addressing customers' most advanced machining needs; as well as other matters discussed in this news release that do not concern purely historical data, are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, difficulties in integrating Peter Wolters' tools with Novellus' existing portfolio; the failure of the transaction to close as anticipated; the failure to integrate Peter Wolters' system design engineers and management team into the Novellus organization; the failure of Eastern Europe to be a growing market for Novellus' products; difficulties in combining the two companies' product lines; the ability of the combined companies to support advanced machining needs, as well as other risks and uncertainties discussed in Novellus' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Actual results could differ materially. Novellus assumes no obligation to update this information. For more details relating to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those anticipated in the forward- looking statements, and risks to Novellus' business in general, please refer to Novellus' SEC filings, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2003 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 27, 2004.

About Novellus:

Novellus Systems, Inc., an S&P 500 company, manufactures, markets and services advanced deposition, surface preparation and chemical mechanical planarization equipment for today's advanced integrated circuits. Our products are designed for high-volume production of advanced, leading-edge semiconductor devices at the lowest possible cost. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with subsidiaries throughout the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Israel, India, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, we are a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq stock exchange and a component of the Nasdaq-100 Index®. Additional information about Novellus is available on our home page at www.novellus.com.



To: robert b furman who wrote (3513)6/21/2004 9:31:13 AM
From: Proud_Infidel  Respond to of 3813
 
Novellus debuts CMP tool for 65-nm and below ICs
By Mark LaPedus
Silicon Strategies
06/21/2004, 8:30 AM ET

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Novellus Systems Inc. moved to lower the cost of chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) Monday (June 21) by rolling out a 300-mm tool that it claimed could be used down to the 32-nanometer manufacturing process node.

Intended for next-generation, multi-level copper/low-k designs, Novellus' Xceda CMP tool is based on a four-polish module and a "through-the-pad" direct slurry distribution architecture for high throughput applications in wafer fabs.

The tool is said to have 18 percent fewer handling steps than competitive machines and reduces slurry usage by up to 40 percent. It also enables a 70 percent pad size reduction and a 50 percent lower pad cost per wafer, according to Novellus, a chip-equipment supplier based in San Jose.

"Today, CMP is one of the more expensive front-end processes in the fab," said Richard Hill, chairman and chief executive of Novellus. "With this platform, we think we have the ability to lower the cost of ownership in CMP," he said at a recent press event at the company's headquarters.

The product represents Novellus' latest attempt to expand its share in the CMP equipment market. Industry revenues for CMP equipment hit $707 million in 2003, a 9 percent drop from 2002, according to VLSI Research Inc., a market research company in Santa Clara, Calif.

Applied Materials Inc. reported CMP equipment sales of just under $500 million in 2003, making it the number one supplier for the sixth consecutive year. Applied's CMP share jumped from 60 percent in 2002, to 65 percent in 2003, according to VLSI Research.

Number two-ranked supplier Ebara Corp. of Japan held onto its 20 percent market share from 2002, while performing only slightly better than the market in 2003. With 5 percent share in 2003, Novellus ranked third among CMP suppliers for the first time after closing its acquisition of Speedfam IPEC Inc. for $220 million in late 2002, according to VLSI Research (see August 12, 2002 story).

At present, Novellus sells the Momentum line of CMP tools, which are based on the technology from Speedfam IPEC.

Meanwhile, with a design geared for chips made with 65-nm manufacturing processes and below, the company's new Xceda features four independent polishing modules for high throughput. The tool's "through-the-pad" slurry management system, coupled with a new pad design, delivers uniform slurry flow to the wafer surface.

This results in improved uniformity, as well as low dishing and erosion across the features of a device, said Damo Srinivas, vice president and general manager of Novellus' CMP business unit. "Fundamentally, Xceda represents a new breed of CMP technology -- one that is designed to transform a cumbersome process into a simpler and more efficient step," he said.

The tool consists of a new polishing technology, which maintains the integrity of low-k and ultra low-k materials. An efficient platen design features an embedded micro-channel dispense, which provides uniform and highly targeted distribution of slurry across the wafer. It also consists of in-situ and in-line metrology control for real-time copper profile management across 100 percent of the wafer.

Novellus said it has already received several customer commitments for its first Xceda production units.



To: robert b furman who wrote (3513)7/12/2004 8:15:08 AM
From: Proud_Infidel  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 3813
 
Novellus Systems Reports Second Quarter 2004 Results
Monday July 12, 8:01 am ET

SAN JOSE, Calif., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Novellus Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVLS - News) today reported net sales and results of operations for its second quarter ended June 26, 2004. Net sales for the quarter were $338.2 million, up 28.7 percent from $262.9 million in the first quarter of 2004 and up 41.5 percent from the second quarter 2003 net sales of $239.1 million. Net income for the quarter was $37.8 million or $0.25 per diluted share, up $21.1 million or 126.7 percent from the first quarter 2004 net income of $16.7 million or $0.11 per diluted share and up $30.4 million or 408.9 percent from the second quarter 2003 net income of $7.4 million or $0.05 per diluted share.
The quarter results include a $6.1 million charge for acquired in-process research and development associated with the acquisition of Angstron Systems, Inc. Without this charge, second quarter net income would have been $43.9 million, or $0.29 per diluted share. In comparison, the first quarter 2004 results included a $2.5 million pre-tax charge for litigation settlement. Excluding this charge, first quarter net income would have been $18.5 million, or $0.12 per diluted share. The second quarter 2003 results did not include any unusual charges or benefits.

Shipments of $366.1 million in the quarter represent an increase of $55.1 million or 17.7 percent from $311.0 million reported in the first quarter of 2004. Deferred revenue at the end of the quarter was $181.1 million, an increase of $27.9 million or 18.2 percent from $153.2 million at the end of the first quarter of 2004.

The financial measures set forth above, which present net income excluding an unusual charge and revenue on a shipments basis, are not in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). The Company believes that these non-GAAP financial measures provide further insight into the results of ongoing operations and enhance the comparability of those results to results in prior periods because they assist shareholder understanding of the effect of an unusual charge on the quarter's results and allow comparability to revenue recognition on a shipments basis.

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments as of June 26, 2004 were $878.4 million, a decrease of $154.3 million or 14.9 percent from the first quarter 2004 ending balance of $1,032.7 million. During the second quarter of 2004, approximately $167.1 million was used to repurchase common shares.

On June 28, 2004, the Company completed the acquisition of Peter Wolters AG, a privately held manufacturer of high-precision machine manufacturing tools headquartered in Rendsburg, Germany.

"Bookings are strong and we continue to experience operating leverage to drive superior financial results for our shareholders," said Richard S. Hill, chairman and chief executive officer of Novellus Systems, Inc. "Novellus is experiencing further strengthening of its 300 millimeter market penetration, particularly in advanced copper applications, due to our technological excellence and a continued focus on productivity," added Hill.

"Safe Harbor" Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:

The statements regarding (i) strength of bookings, (ii) continued operating leverage, (iii) and further strengthening of the Company's 300 millimeter market penetration, particularly in advanced copper applications, due to technological excellence and focus on productivity, as well as other matters discussed in this news release that are not purely historical data, are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, decreased customer demand, increased operating expenses, technological difficulties with the Company's 300 millimeter advanced copper tools, and other risks indicated in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Actual results could differ materially. We assume no obligation to update this information. For more details, please refer to our SEC filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 27, 2004.

About Novellus:

Novellus Systems, Inc., an S&P 500 company, manufactures, markets and services advanced deposition, surface preparation and chemical mechanical planarization equipment for today's advanced integrated circuits. Our products are designed for high-volume production of advanced, leading-edge semiconductor devices at the lowest possible cost. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., with subsidiaries throughout the United States, as well as in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Israel, India, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan, we are a publicly traded company on the Nasdaq stock exchange and a component of the Nasdaq-100 Index®. Additional information about Novellus is available on our home page at www.novellus.com.

NOVELLUS SYSTEMS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 26 March 27 June 28 June 26 June 28
2004 2004 2003 2004 2003

Net sales $338,219 $262,862 $239,050 $601,081 $477,460
Cost of
sales 168,539 138,257 133,728 306,796 262,324

Gross
profit 169,680 124,605 105,322 294,285 215,136
% 50.2% 47.4% 44.1% 49.0% 45.1%

Operating
expenses:
Selling,
general
and
admini-
strative 47,225 42,403 44,444 89,628 87,075
Research
and
development 63,471 58,957 56,509 122,428 113,515
Acquired
in-process
research and
development 6,124 -- -- 6,124 --
Legal
settlement -- 2,500 -- 2,500 --

Total
operating
expenses 116,820 103,860 100,953 220,680 200,590
% 34.5% 39.5% 42.2% 36.7% 42.0%

Income from
operations 52,860 20,745 4,369 73,605 14,546
% 15.6% 7.9% 1.8% 12.2% 3.0%

Other income,
net 2,896 2,749 5,537 5,645 11,189

Income before
income taxes 55,756 23,494 9,906 79,250 25,735
Provision for
income taxes 17,945 6,813 2,476 24,758 6,433

Net income $37,811 $16,681 $7,430 $54,492 $19,302

Net income
per share:
Basic net
income per
share $0.25 $0.11 $0.05 $0.36 $0.13
Diluted net
income per
share $0.25 $0.11 $0.05 $0.35 $0.13

Shares used
in basic per
share
calculation 149,112 152,911 149,950 151,012 149,692
Shares used
in diluted
per share
calculation 151,386 156,100 153,034 153,743 152,631

NOVELLUS SYSTEMS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(EXCLUDING CERTAIN UNUSUAL CHARGES)

(In thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
June 26 March 27 June 28 June 26 June 28
2004 2004 2003 2004 2003

Net sales $338,219 $262,862 $239,050 $601,081 $477,460
Cost of
sales 168,539 138,257 133,728 306,796 262,324

Gross
profit 169,680 124,605 105,322 294,285 215,136
% 50.2% 47.4% 44.1% 49.0% 45.1%

Operating
expenses:
Selling,
general
and
admini-
strative 47,225 42,403 44,444 89,628 87,075
Research and
development 63,471 58,957 56,509 122,428 113,515

Total operating
expenses 110,696 101,360 100,953 212,056 200,590
% 32.7% 38.6% 42.2% 35.3% 42.0%

Income from
operations 58,984 23,245 4,369 82,229 14,546
% 17.4% 8.8% 1.8% 13.7% 3.0%

Other income,
net 2,896 2,749 5,537 5,645 11,189

Income before
income taxes 61,880 25,994 9,906 87,874 25,735
Provision for
income taxes 17,945 7,538 2,476 25,483 6,433

Net income $43,935 $18,456 $7,430 $62,391 $19,302

Net income
per share:
Basic net
income per
share $0.29 $0.12 $0.05 $0.41 $0.13
Diluted net
income per
share $0.29 $0.12 $0.05 $0.41 $0.13

Shares used
in basic per
share
calculation 149,112 152,911 149,950 151,012 149,692
Shares used
in diluted
per share
calculation 151,386 156,100 153,034 153,743 152,631

A reconciliation of our net income excluding certain unusual charges and
benefits to our net income under accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States of America is presented below:

Net income
excluding
unusual
(charges)
and
benefits $43,935 $18,456 $7,430 $62,391 $19,302

Unusual
(charges)
and
benefits:
Acquired
in-process
research
and
develop-
ment (6,124) -- -- (6,124) --
Legal
settlement -- (2,500) -- (2,500) --
Total
charges (6,124) (2,500) -- (8,624) --
Adjustments
on provision
for income
taxes -- 725 -- 725 --
Net income $37,811 $16,681 $7,430 $54,492 $19,302

(1)The condensed consolidated statements of operations (excluding
certain unusual charges) are intended to present our operating
results, excluding certain unusual charges, benefits and related
adjustments on provisions for income taxes. These condensed
consolidated statements of operations are not in accordance with or
an alternative for U.S. generally accepted accounting principles and
may be different from similar measures by other companies.

NOVELLUS SYSTEMS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands) June 26 December 31
2004 2003
(Unaudited) *
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and short-term investments $878,445 $1,002,132
Accounts receivable, net 330,190 231,760
Inventories 220,747 199,100
Deferred taxes and other current assets 160,633 138,996
Total current assets 1,590,015 1,571,988

Property and equipment, net 479,592 506,567
Goodwill 173,267 173,267
Intangible and other assets 95,590 87,078

Total assets $2,338,464 $2,338,900

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $198,654 $150,945
Deferred profit 84,238 46,821
Income taxes payable 39,078 10,293
Current obligations under lines of credit 8,056 13,023
Total current liabilities 330,026 221,082

Other liabilities 42,304 45,958
Total liabilities 372,330 267,040

Shareholders' equity:
Common stock 1,527,955 1,565,926
Retained earnings and accumulated other
comprehensive income 438,179 505,934
Total shareholders' equity 1,966,134 2,071,860

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $2,338,464 $2,338,900

*The December 31, 2003 condensed consolidated balance sheet was derived
from our audited consolidated financial statements.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Novellus Systems, Inc.