Walnut Creek, CA -- October 8, 1997 -- Teradyne, Inc. announced that it has received a multiple-system order for its Z1800-Series circuit board test systems from Creative Technology Ltd., suppliers of the Sound Blaster(R) and other multimedia subsystems for PCs. The six Teradyne Z1803 systems were recently installed at Creative's facilities in Malaysia and Singapore, where they are used for in-line manufacturing test of Sound Blaster cards and other Creative products. The order was announced by Richard Huang, Teradyne's Regional Sales Manager for South Asia in Singapore.

"Creative's manufacturing facility has been running on two different test platforms. With the view to increase our efficiency in time and cost, we now aim to standardize our testing procedures on a single platform," said Mr. Chua Hiap Chew, Director of Strategic Manufacturing Engineering at Creative Technology. "This upgrading exercise is also aimed to expand the testing coverage to include BGAs (ball grid arrays), as well as to convert our present 'batch process' test method to a more streamlined 'in-line manufacturing' process."

"Taking into account the overall investment and operation costs, a test system must also be easy to use and able to provide the capability for efficient program development and future upgrading," added Chua. "After considering various systems, we found Teradyne's systems were best suited to meet our objectives."

More than 2,200 Z1800-Series test systems have been shipped to customers around the world, Huang said. The system is produced by Teradyne's Assembly Test Division in Walnut Creek, California. The division also supplies other equipment for the commercial board test market, including the SpectrumTM 8800-Series Manufacturing Test Platform, the 5500-Series AOI (automated optical inspection) system, and the Teradyne Javelin Flying Prober fixtureless test system.

Teradyne is a leading manufacturer of automatic test equipment and connection systems for the electronics and telecommunications industries, with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. Teradyne's site on the World Wide Web is at www.teradyne.com. Teradyne is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (Symbol: TER). Sales in the first half of 1997 were approximately $538 million.

Creative Technology Ltd. is the world's leading provider of advanced multimedia solutions for personal computers, including sound, graphics, and communications and videoconferencing products. The company's Sound Blaster technology has been accepted as the worldwide standard sound platform for PCs, and the company's global distribution network is among the most extensive in the multimedia industry. Creative is focused on enhancing the overall user experience by providing powerful, enabling, high-value technology for the mass market.

Spectrum is a trademark of Teradyne, Inc. Sound Blaster is a registered trademark of Creative Technology Ltd.