SAN JOSE, California, March 22, 2004 - Nikon Corporation was named a recipient of Intel Corporation’s Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award for outstanding performance in providing products and services deemed essential to Intel’s success. The company was awarded for its efforts in supplying Intel with lithography exposure equipment and measuring instruments. Nikon Corporation and 28 additional PQS award winners will be honored at a celebration in Burlingame, Calif., on March 23.

“Nikon’s continuous efforts to improve our products and customer support systems have been recognized by Intel, and we are very proud to receive this award for the 2nd year in a row," said Michio Kariya, Nikon Corporation president of Precision Equipment Company.

“Congratulations to Nikon for receiving PQS recognition two years in a row," said Peter Silverman, Intel director, Lithography Capital Equipment Development. "This is a significant achievement because Intel increases the very demanding requirements for PQS status each year. Nikon’s continued focus on enabling technologies and affordability in support of our One Generation Ahead strategy has helped to make Intel a success. We look forward to working together with Nikon to successfully meet industry challenges in the years ahead."

The PQS awards are part of Intel’s Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) process that encourages suppliers to strive for excellence and continuous improvement. To quality for PQS status, suppliers must score 80 percent on a report card that assesses performance and ability to meet cost, quality, availability, delivery, technology and responsiveness goals. Suppliers must also manage and deliver on a challenging improvement plan and a quality systems assessment. Additional information about the SCQI program is available at http://supplier.intel.com/quality.

Intel will also recognize PQS award winners on March 23 with an advertisement in the U.S., Europe and Asian editions of The Wall Street Journal.

About Nikon
Since 1917, Nikon Corporation has been a leader in optical glass manufacturing. With continued growth and expertise, Nikon now offers a diverse range of industrial instruments, including steppers and scanners, microscopes and measuring instruments to complement a full line of semiconductor manufacturing related equipment.

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