SAN DIEGO, CA -- January 16, 2001 -- GenRad, Inc., [NYSE: GEN] today announced it is participating in a collaborative effort to develop the building blocks required for more efficient next-generation electronics manufacturing systems that will save its customers millions of dollars while increasing their market opportunities. The announcement was made at APEX, the annual IPC-sponsored tradeshow for electronics manufacturers.

The Plug-and-Play Framework Implementation Project is the outgrowth of two earlier initiatives led by GenRad in association with the National Electronic Manufacturing Initiative. NEMI is a partnership of the North American electronics manufacturing industry focused on leveraging existing resources in electronics manufacturing for sustained economic growth.

This initiative attacks the long-standing problem of communications incompatibilities among diverse manufacturing hardware and software applications used in electronics manufacturing.

In addition to GenRad, the Plug-and-Play framework project participants include Intel Corp., Fuji America, Celestica, Avaya [formerly Lucent], DEK Printing Machines, Siemens Electronic Assembly Equipment, Siemens Corporate Research, Talarian and Agilent Technologies.

–Development of open standards in electronics manufacturing is essential to the rapid and successful growth of todayês emerging technologies and the companies that bring them to market,” said Ron Lindell, vice president of the GenRad Process Solutions business unit. –GenRad is committed to development and deployment of open standards in our software solutions, and will help define new standards where none exist.”

The Framework Implementation project will be conducted at the Manufacturing Research Center at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. The Center features a $3 million test bed manufacturing line running a GenRad 2284 in-circuit tester. The test-bed line will be used to test implementation of the IPC 2540 standard for factory floor communications. This effort is expected to speed the standardês adoption throughout the electronics industry.

GenRad proposed and then led the NEMI Plug-and-Play project from its inception in December, 1997, until its completion in December, 1999. One of the results of the NEMI Plug-and-Play project was the formation of the IPCês Shop Floor Equipment Communications Committee and IPC-2540, a standard for shop floor communications. GenRad chairs this IPC committee.

Andrew Dugenske, Research Manager at the Manufacturing Research Center and project leader, stated: –We are very pleased to have GenRad join us to speed the time to market for this new standard. GenRad has a long history of supporting manufacturing research at Georgia Tech. We are looking forward to the expertise they will bring to this project.”

About GenRad

GenRad Inc. [NYSE: GEN] is a global leader of electronics manufacturing productivity solutions for contract and original equipment manufacturers [OEM] of handheld and wireless devices, PCs and business servers, DSL and other broadband switching and routing technologies, and other devices integral to emerging Internet e-commerce markets. GenRad also applies its technologies to development of diagnostic solutions for the automotive and general transportation industry.

GenRad is comprised of four lines of business bringing to market integrated hardware, software and service solutions that empower always-on services and un-interruptable business applications:

• Process Solutions focuses on in-circuit test, x-ray test, and re-work solutions as well as plant and line management solutions for electronic product manufacturers.
• Functional Solutions focuses on functional test platforms for manufacturers of telecommunications, computers and automotive electronics.
• Diagnostic Solutions focuses on service bay and manufacturing solutions for transportation OEMs and independent service providers.
• Support and Services focuses on maintenance programs, on-site and remote support, programming services, and training to help customers optimize their hardware and software solutions.

Founded in 1915, GenRad employs approximately 1,400 people and maintains its worldwide headquarters in Westford, MA, USA. The company's Web address is http://www.genrad.com.