Teradyne EMS Speeds Products to Market With Total Design for Manufacturability --DFM-- Solutions

NASHUA, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 17, 2001--

DFM Guideline for Backplane Assembly Improves Systems Reliability for

Telecom, Data Storage, Fiber Optics

Teradyne, Inc. (NYSE: TER) Connection Systems Division (TCS), a leading manufacturer of high-speed/high-density interconnects, multi-gigabit custom backplanes, and high-performance systems integration and test, today announced its DFM Guideline for Backplane Assembly. The guideline is the first of a suite of design for manufacturability (DFM) tools from TCS that will improve system reliability and reduce time to market for manufacturers of telecom, computing, and Internet infrastructure equipment.

As an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider, Teradyne Connection Systems is unique in offering a detailed level of design assistance in its DFM guidelines. This added design support compliments the division's technology focused vertical integration and supplements the face-to-face design work performed by TCS's Field Applications Engineers for customers to help produce the best design on the first pass.

Teradyne's DFM tools provide a framework to streamline the system design cycle, allowing Teradyne and its customers to focus more on perfecting the system design at its concept stage and therefore invest less time and money building prototypes. This enhanced design collaboration with customers identifies robust, automated processes that reduce defects, improve system reliability, and get the system to market faster.

"Our DFM tools help Teradyne and our manufacturing partners to identify and resolve assembly and production related issues early in the design cycle," said Dan Murphy, VP of Sales and Application Engineering. "Evaluating the manufacturability of a system during the design cycle will help our customers reduce delays down the line, and that translates into significant cost savings on materials and labor as well as reduced time-to-market."

"By minimizing the troubleshooting process, we can accelerate production and dedicate more time toward developing next generation technologies for our customers," Murphy said.

Teradyne's DFM Guideline for Backplane Assembly is structured to follow a designer's standard order of design steps, including PCB mechanicals, component selection, board layout, component placement, and PCB routing. A comprehensive and user-friendly check sheet guides the designer through the review process.

"After using Teradyne's DFM guideline and conducting a detailed DFM review on a new backplane design, I am convinced that we made the right choice by enlisting Teradyne's services," said Derek Moran, Designer, Occam Networks. "Our comprehensive pre-proto DFM review identified some problematic components. Replacing these with parts optimized for automated assembly enabled us to decrease unit cost and improve reliability."

Other Teradyne DFM guidelines planned for release in the next year will address design improvement efforts for interconnect and chassis integration. Guidelines for PCB fabrication and signal integrity also are planned. To request a copy of Teradyne's DFM Guideline for Backplane Assembly, visit www.teradyne.com/dfm.

About Occam Networks, Inc.

Occam Networks, Inc., based in Santa Barbara, Calif., is the leading supplier of Broadband Loop Carrier equipment, a simple, cost-effective access platform that enables Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs) to overcome the limitations of the local loop to profitably deliver a variety of voice and broadband services from a converged new access network. Additional information about the company can be found at www.occamnetworks.com.

About Teradyne Connection Systems Division

Teradyne Connection Systems (TCS), a division of Boston-based Teradyne, Inc., provides high performance system solutions to industry leading OEMs, with printed circuit boards, high-speed, high-density connectors, multi-gigabit backplane assemblies and complete systems integration and test. Teradyne's high-technology components and electronic manufacturing services are used by manufacturers of communications and computing systems central to building networking infrastructure. For more information visit www.teradyne.com/tcs.

About Teradyne Inc.

Teradyne (NYSE: TER) is the world's largest supplier of automatic test equipment and is also a leading supplier of high performance interconnection products and total systems integration services. Teradyne's automatic test products are used by manufacturers of semiconductors, circuit assemblies and voice and broadband telephone networks. Teradyne's high-technology components and electronic manufacturing services are used by manufacturers of communications and computing systems central to building networking infrastructure. The company had sales of $3 billion in 2000 and currently employs about 9000 people worldwide. For more information visit www.teradyne.com.

“After using Teradyne's DFM guideline and conducting a detailed DFM review on a new backplane design, I am convinced that we made the right choice by enlisting Teradyne's services”