Cabot Microelectronics and Metron Technology Announce Modification of Distribution Agreement; Modification to Take Effect Q1 04; Metron Reiterates Q1 03 Guidance.

Business Editors/Technology Writers

BURLINGAME, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 2002

Metron Technology (Nasdaq:MTCH) and Cabot Microelectronics (Nasdaq:CCMP) announced today the modification of their distribution agreement. Under the revised agreement, Cabot Microelectronics will assume direct distribution of its products in Europe, Singapore and Malaysia effective as of June 1, 2003, while Metron will continue to distribute Cabot Microelectronics products in Israel.

"We have had a long and successful relationship with Metron Technology," said Matthew Neville, president and chief executive officer of Cabot Microelectronics. "For strategic reasons, we have decided to distribute our products directly in Europe, Singapore and Malaysia. This strategy, which we have developed over time, will allow us to further strengthen our solid relationships with our customers and bring directly to them the full capabilities of our organization. We will be working with Metron over a 10-month period to position our organization to provide seamless transition and support to our customers while continuing our business relationship with Metron in support of our customers in Israel."

"We value our relationship with Cabot Microelectronics and will work closely with the company to ensure customer satisfaction during this transition," said Ed Segal, chairman and chief executive officer of Metron Technology. "Since the actual transition does not occur until June 1, 2003, we believe there will be no financial impact in our current fiscal year ending May 31, 2003. We continue to expect, as we stated in our July 10 conference call, first quarter fiscal 2003 revenues to be between $62 million and $66 million and EPS to be between $0.04 per share and $0.06 per share.

"In fiscal 2002, Cabot Microelectronics revenues in Europe, Singapore, and Malaysia represented approximately 13 percent of Metron's revenue," said Mr. Segal. "While we are disappointed by the decision, this is a known risk in our business and one which we have encountered and overcome before. As a valued global outsourcer and now manufacturer, we have programs in place and are pursuing multiple opportunities to generate new revenues with a wide range of existing and new principals and customers."

Metron/Novellus Announcement

Separately, Metron announced today that Novellus Systems has selected Metron Technology as its exclusive partner to refurbish Novellus' legacy systems. Please see the separate release for details.

Conference Call

Metron Technology will host a conference call to discuss the modified agreement with Cabot Microelectronics and the new agreement with Novellus on Tuesday, August 6, 2002 at 6:00 a.m. Pacific Time (9:00 a.m. Eastern Time). Ed Segal, chairman and chief executive officer, and Peter V. Leigh, chief financial officer will host the call. A question and answer session will follow.

To listen to the call, please dial [phone], passcode "Metron" 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. A taped replay will be made available approximately one hour after the conclusion of the call and will remain available for one week. To access the replay, dial [phone].

The conference call will be available via a live web cast on the investor relations section of the Metron Technology web site at www.metrontech.com. Please access the website 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to download and install any necessary audio software. An archived web cast replay of the call will be available at www.metrontech.com for 30 days.

About Metron Technology N.V.

Metron Technology N.V. (Nasdaq: MTCH) is a leading global provider of outsourced marketing, sales, service and support solutions to semiconductor materials and equipment suppliers and semiconductor manufacturers. Metron also provides semiconductor manufacturers with the ability to outsource a wide variety of fab equipment support services, such as materials management, cleanroom services and facility maintenance. These services enable Metron's customers to increase fab productivity and focus on their core competencies, such as product development, manufacturing and marketing. By partnering with Metron, Metron's principals (suppliers) can focus on product development and other core competencies, reduce their time to market and use Metron's global network to better compete with larger companies. Metron Technology N.V. has its headquarters in Burlingame, California, and is on the web at www.metrontech.com

About Cabot Microelectronics Corporation

Cabot Microelectronics, headquartered in Aurora, Ill., is the leading supplier of CMP slurries for polishing various materials used in semiconductor manufacturing processes. The company's products play a critical role in its customers' manufacturing processes, enabling the manufacture of smaller, faster and more complex devices. Cabot Microelectronics is traded on Nasdaq under the symbol CCMP. For more information on Cabot Microelectronics, visit our website www.cabotcmp.com or call [phone].

Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. There are a number of important factors that could cause the results of Metron Technology to differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31, 2001 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended February 28, 2002. Metron Technology does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements.