Contact: Dan Green
  847-790-5371
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APEX NAMED SITE FOR 8th ANNUAL VISION AWARDS PRESENTATION

Northbrook, IL 03/05/99

 It was announced today that the 8th Annual Vision Awards, sponsored by SMT Magazine,
will be presented at the IPC SMEMA Council Electronics Assembly Process Exhibition
and Conference (APEXSM), taking place March 12-16, 2000, at the Long Beach Convention
Center in Long Beach, California.

"Following the demise of the Surface Mount International Show where the Vision Awards
have been presented by SMT Magazine each year, we felt it was imperative to relocate
the Vision Awards presentation to the event where the industry's leading equipment,
materials, components and services providers plan to exhibit their latest products,"
says SMT editor Greg Reed.  "Since some of the industry's most visionary companies
are among the signed-on exhibitors, APEX has become our location of choice for future
awards presentations."

The SMT's Vision Awards recognize innovation in 14 separate categories, each
representing a critical area of the surface mount process.  Entries are evaluated on
their visionary development of products or services - their uniquely advancing
technology or meeting industry challenges.

A list of previous Vision Award-winning products and services can be viewed on SMT
Magazine's Web site at www.smtmag.com.  For further information or an entry
form, contact SMT assistant editor Jason Crase at (847) 362-8711, by fax at (847)
362-8027, or e-mail [log in to unmask]

APEX, produced by the IPC SMEMA Council, will be the premier industry conference and
exhibition for the electronics assembly industry in 2000 and beyond.
For more information on the event, contact IPC Director of Assembly Programs Lisa
Griffin at (847) 790-5379, e-mail [log in to unmask], or visit the APEX website at
www.ipc.org/html/apex.htm.

IPC is a US-based trade association dedicated to the competitive excellence and
financial success of its nearly 2,500 member companies which represent all facets of
the electronic interconnection industry, including design, printed wiring board
manufacturing and electronics assembly.  As a member-driven organization and leading
source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy,
IPC supports programs to meet the needs of a $26 billion US industry employing more
than 250,000 people.

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