Amtech wins $38.6 million electronic toll contract in Florida.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 1997--

Largest ETC Contract in Company History

Amtech Corporation (NASDAQ: AMTC) announced Tuesday that its Transportation Systems Group (TSG) has been awarded a contract by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) for a state-wide, non-stop electronic toll collection (ETC) system encompassing approximately 455 lanes.

When all phases of the contract have been completed, the total value of the contract will be $38.6 million. The new contract is the largest single ETC project won by Amtech in the company's history.

The contract is expected to be funded incrementally year-to-year by FDOT. Initial state funding of $10.4 million has already been approved, with funding for the balance expected in future fiscal-year installments. Phased field implementation of Florida's new SunPass system will begin in late 1997 and is scheduled to be completed in the year 2000.

Amtech will install, integrate, and maintain an advanced version of its state-of-the art, read-write Intellitag product line at all FDOT toll locations throughout the state of Florida. Amtech will supply FDOT with approximately 327,000 SunPass vehicle tags.

Vehicle tag types include a Type II model, which performs all basic operations, and a Type III advanced model that features audio and visual indicators, as well as a message display. As a patron drives through a toll plaza, the Type III tag's red, green, and yellow lights and its audio alert will indicate the status of the toll transaction to the driver.

This status information is retained in the tag so that a driver can view account details later at a safe and convenient time by using the message display.

The contract calls for 92 lanes to be dedicated exclusively to electronic toll collection and 16 of the lanes to be designated as express lanes. The new system will also be integrated with existing coin and manual equipment on the remaining 347 lanes. Amtech will provide system maintenance for one year.

President and CEO of Amtech Corporation G. Russell Mortenson said, "This Amtech installation will set the standard for all future ETC projects in the state of Florida. We look forward to working with other local, county, and state agencies to help all of Florida build state-of-the-art transportation systems."

Mortenson concluded, "While the very competitive nature of the FDOT procurement and the large civil works content will result in low margins on this contract, we view the project as a strategic one for Amtech--to further enhance our position as the global leader in large-scale electronic toll and traffic management systems. The multi-year nature of the contract and other new business will balance TSG's blended margins over the contract term."

"We're very excited to be working with Amtech," said Christine Speer, director of the state of Florida's Office of Toll Operations. "Amtech is an international leader in the electronic toll and traffic management industry, and we look forward to what the SunPass project can offer the state of Florida, its residents, and visitors."

FDOT expects the new system to help reduce congestion on highways by increasing traffic throughput to as many as 1,800 vehicles per hour and to provide added convenience to patrons in paying tolls.

The FDOT system will head Amtech's growing worldwide list of large electronic toll collection installations. The list also includes the installation of the 208-lane EZ-Pass project for New York's MTA Bridges and Tunnels, a division of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York, and the 278-lane PIKEPASS project for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, the world's largest open-road electronic toll collection system.

Other large-scale Amtech ETC systems are in place in Hong Kong, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, France, Mexico, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

The company said that Amtech is able to provide Florida the best technology at a very competitive price because it is not only a premier technology provider with high-quality ISO 9001 manufacturing and research and development capability, but also a full-service solutions supplier.

Amtech's in-house engineering expertise and extensive experience with large systems allows it to provide a complete, turnkey system.

Amtech Corporation is a leading global provider of systems and solutions utilizing the company's core competence in wireless data and security technologies to serve the intelligent transportation, electronic security, logistics, and other markets.

The company is organized into three market-oriented groups: Transportation Systems Group, headed by Amtech Systems Corporation; Electronic Security Group, encompassing Cotag International and Cardkey Systems product and service lines; and Interactive Data Group, comprised of WaveNet.

CONTACT: Amtech Corporation

Beverly Fuortes, 972/733-6059; FAX: [phone]