Provides Universal Platform for OEMs and Contract Manufacturers

SAN DIEGO, CA -- January 16, 2001 -- GenRad, Inc. [NYSE: GEN], a leading producer of advanced performance-assurance products for electronics manufacturers, today introduced the GR Versa™ Cell Phone Test Solution, a universal platform designed to help OEMs and contract manufacturers improve cell phone production and reduce overall manufacturing costs. The announcement was made at APEX, the annual IPC-sponsored tradeshow for electronics manufacturers.

The test system offers a unique, single functional test platform capable of testing any cell phone, regardless of manufacturer or technology. The GR Versa Cell Phone Test Solution's instrument-independent platform gives OEMs and contract manufacturers one end-of-line platform that easily adapts to changing production schedules. Additionally, each system is capable of testing multiple cell phones simultaneously, keeping up with ever-shortening time-to-market demands and reducing the amount of costly floor space required by multiple test systems.

Built on GenRad's proven GR Versa™ platform, the test system provides drivers for all the major cellular test instruments, making it easy for manufacturers to integrate, change, or modify the test programs to accommodate the specific requirements of individual cell phone manufacturers. The solution integrates easily with instruments manufactured by vendors including Agilent Technologies, Anritsu, IFR, and Rohde & Schwartz.

According to The Yankee Group, cellular phone production has increased 58 percent from 1998 to 1999 and is expected to increase with sales of nearly 600 million phones in 2001. To meet growing consumer demand, contract manufacturers must accommodate a greater number of OEM vendors at a single facility with higher production rates. With GenRad's test solution, contract manufacturers now have the capability of implementing one test solution with one programming environment across all of their assembly lines.

Key features of the GR Versa cell phone test solution include:

• concurrent testing of multiple phones, resulting in short, effective test times
• RF signal switching matrix
• extensive test libraries utilizing National Instruments LabWindows/CVI™ to simplify test program development
• GR TestPak™ Switching's point-and-click environment that further automates the task of signal switching and routing
• Stand-alone or automated solutions

"Our solution is unrivaled in terms of its versatility, ease of use, and speed. Both OEMs and contract manufacturers now have a single test tool that can meet their increasing production demands," said Jim Ficaro, Vice President of GenRad's Functional Solutions group.

GenRad's GR Versa™ Cell Phone Test Solution is one of a continuing series of performance-assurance solutions developed by GenRad that addresses the needs of the communications industry. By integrating select instrumentation and developing technology-specific libraries, GenRad's solutions can be implemented in a manufacturing strategy quickly and easily.