Bourns Broadens Sales Coverage in California, Nevada and Mexico With Three New Manufacturer's Representative Firms.

RIVERSIDE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 8, 1999--

New Rep Firms Selected for Their Specialization in the Sale of Passive

Electromechanical Components and Interconnects

Bourns Inc., a leading manufacturer of passive components, announced today that it has expanded its North American sales network with the addition of three new manufacturer's representative firms.

Kottmeier Associates Inc., West Electronic Sales Team, and Falcon Sales & Technology have been chartered with elevating sales of Bourns' passive components in a broad range of markets in California, Northern Nevada and Tijuana, Mexico.

"Each of these rep firms is backed by a solid customer base along with highly-qualified sales professionals with expertise in passive components and interconnects. Beyond providing Bourns with more thorough coverage in California, Nevada and Mexico, all three companies also give us confidence that our products are being sold through specialists in our market," said Phyllis Jones, vice president of Sales Americas for Bourns.

As the leading electronics manufacturer's rep firm in both Northern California and Northern Nevada, Kottmeier Associates Inc. of Los Gatos, Calif., will deepen Bourns' penetration in a broad range of markets in these regions.

"We are pleased to be affiliated with such a world-class manufacturer, and feel our reputation for superior service and expertise in the passive components market is well-matched for the strength and depth of Bourns' product lines," said Bill Kottmeier, president of Kottmeier Associates Inc.

Bourns hired West Electronic Sales Team, of Huntington Beach, Calif. to increase product sales in the California territory south of San Luis Obispo and north of San Diego. Serving the electronics industry as a manufacturer's representative for close to 40 years, West Electronic Sales Team prides itself on the engineering and design-in expertise of its staff.

"Representing an industry innovator such as Bourns enables us to better leverage emerging designs," said Dan Parks, president of West Electronic Sales Team. "We are very excited to be working with Bourns, and feel the compatibility of our expertise with Bourns' product lines will be mutually beneficial."

Like Kottmeier Associates Inc. and West Electronic Sales Team, Falcon Sales & Technology's representatives are experts in the area of passive components and interconnects. Based in San Diego County, Calif., Falcon Sales & Technology exclusively targets the San Diego and Tijuana marketplaces, which were previously part of a much larger, generalized sales territory for Bourns.

"The entire staff at Falcon Sales is thrilled to be awarded the Bourns line, and is looking forward to a long and rewarding relationship," said Bret Gann, president of Falcon Sales & Technology. "With a well-established customer base in an area that is fast becoming the country's second largest technology center after Silicon Valley, Falcon Sales is poised to increase Bourns' sales and customer base within the region."

About Bourns Inc.

Bourns Inc., is the leading manufacturer of Trimming Potentiometers, Precision Potentiometers, Panel Controls, Encoders and Resistor and Capacitor Networks. Bourns has expanded its product offerings and produces an extensive line of Polymer PTC Resettable Fuses, which are available in radial leaded, axial leaded, chip, disc and surface mount configurations.

Bourns also sells Modular Contacts, Switches, Chip Resistors/Chip Arrays, and Inductive Components. The company's products are used in a broad range of applications in the telecommunications, computer, industrial, instrumentation, automotive, consumer, medical, audio and other market segments. Bourns' products are manufactured according to ISO and QS9000 standards, under six sigma quality programs and according to SPC production procedures. For more information, contact Bourns' corporate headquarters at 1200 Columbia Avenue, Riverside, Calif. 92507. Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; URL: http://www.bourns.com.

About the Manufacturer's Representative Firms

Kottmeier Associates Inc. is a leading electronic manufacturer's representative in Northern California and Northern Nevada. Founded in 1969, Kottmeier Associates' customer base includes computer and computer peripheral, telecommunications, medical, military, instrumentation and consumer electronics manufacturers. For more information, contact Kottmeier Associates' corporate headquarters at 985 University Avenue, Suite 38, Los Gatos, CA 95032. Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; URL: http://www.kottmeier.com.

Founded in 1961, West Electronic Sales Team is a 20-person sales team with offices in Orange County and San Diego. West Electronic has a proven track record for growth and performance in Southern California. For more information, contact West Electronic Sales Team's corporate headquarters at 16581 Burke Lane, Huntington Beach, CA 92647. Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; URL: http://www.westelec.com.

Falcon Sales & Technology Inc. was founded in 1989 by Bret Gann to support component manufacturers with sales and marketing programs targeted at the growing San Diego electronics market. Falcon attributes its continued success to its dedication to the local marketplace it serves, consisting of San Diego County, Imperial County, the Temecula Valley, and selected "maquiladora" companies in Tijuana, Mexicali and Calexico. For more information, contact Falcon Sales & Technology's corporate headquarters at 910 West San Marcos Blvd., Suite 205, San Marcos, CA 92069. Phone: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; URL: http://www.falconsales.com.