NTA Establishes Electronic Commerce Capability On Company Web Site.

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 18, 1998--

New Web Site Feature Allows Customers to Purchase NTA's Cleanroom Furnishings At Any Time from Any Location With a Credit Card or Purchase Order Number

NTA Industries, a manufacturer of cleanroom products for the semiconductor and related industries, has added a new online feature to its web site that allows customers to purchase NTA's ultraclean cleanroom furnishings via the Internet, resulting in faster turn-around time from order placement to shipment.

The ability to purchase products over the Internet is an increasing trend due to a number of factors, including increased use of computers for conducting day-to-day business operations and the increased ease with which a customer can place an order with a vendor from any location around the world at any time. According to the Emerging Digital Economy Report recently released by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Internet commerce between businesses in the U.S. alone -- estimated at $8 billion for 1997 -- will likely surpass $300 billion by 2002.

Currently, NTA customers can purchase any of the company's ULTRACLN(R) and VALUCLN(tm) standard products via the Internet with a credit card or purchase order number. By mid-September, NTA expects that all of its standard products, including those from its premier ULTRACLN+(tm) and recently introduced VALUCLN+(tm) product lines will be available for purchase on its web site. All products are available in NTA's ULTRA POLISH(tm) electropolished finish -- which completely removes embedded particles and rust from the stainless steel -- and can be used in Class 1 or better sub-micron cleanrooms.

"Our new Online Store allows us to respond more quickly to our customers, both for low-volume and high-volume purchases, and eliminates distance as a factor in placing orders," said Malcolm Northrup, president of NTA. "Our smaller customers will especially benefit from this capability, where the expense of having a sales representative visit the customer on-site is too high. By the fourth quarter of 1998, we plan to expand our web site capability to include personalized, password-protected accounts for our major customers, allowing them to also purchase custom-designed products," added Northrup.

To enter NTA's Online Store, customers must visit the company's web site at www.ntaindustries.com and select the Online Store link at NTA's main web page. From there, customers can select any number of NTA products and submit orders with a credit card or purchase order number. Within an hour of placing the order, customers automatically receive an e-mail from NTA acknowledging the order and asking if they have any questions. An NTA representative then follows up within 24 hours to provide the shipping date for the order and answer any additional questions. If a purchase order number is submitted when placing the order, the customer will be asked to verify the purchase order prior to manufacture.

"By year-end, we plan to streamline our operations even further by having an automated system in place for our Online Store that will automatically write up all sales orders, determine the shipping date, alert the appropriate NTA staff that the order has been placed, and send the shipping date to the customer," remarked Northrup.

Headquartered in Milpitas, Calif., NTA Industries is a 17-year-old firm that specializes in the design and manufacture of ultraclean stainless steel cleanroom furnishings, and provides fabrication of stainless steel sheet metal and services for electropolishing. The privately held company has more than 50 employees and a network of sales representatives and distributors throughout the United States.

    CONTACT: NTA Industries, Inc.
              Malcolm Northrup, 408/262-8777, Fax: [phone]
              E-mail: [e-mail]
                   OR
              Mathews & Clark Communications
              David Moreno, 408/736-1120, Fax: [phone]
              E-mail: [e-mail]