SPARESOLUTIONS USES WEB TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE RESPONSE TIME.

Applied Materials, Inc., Santa Clara, Calif., has announced the extension of its recently introduced SparesSolutions(TM) program to the company's European customers. This on-line customer support application allows customers to quickly and easily obtain spare parts for their Applied Materials systems. SparesSolutions uses Internet technology to shorten response time and improve efficiency of the parts procurement process by offering customers around-the-clock order access with an easy-to-use, fully integrated Web-based parts database.

"The widespread fab operations of our European customers, along with the large installed base of Applied Materials systems, constitutes an excellent environment for implementing the SparesSolutions program to improve fast-response spare parts service and support," said Francois Berger, vice president and general manager of Applied Materials' European operations. "This new service is designed to significantly boost customers' efficiency in the parts procurement process, with shorter parts ordering and delivery cycle times. Having all parts ordering and status information easily available also can improve customers' business information systems in their fab."

SparesSolutions is a secure, private Web site that provides a comprehensive, customer-specific feature set. Its purchasing options include highest-priority "emergency down" ordering and direct order entry of part numbers to access pricing and availability for ordering. Customers can check the status of orders at any time, from initial entry to delivery. Custom lists can be created for repetitive parts orders to support on-going equipment maintenance schedules, allowing a parts order to be entered once, saved on file and activated whenever maintenance is due.

Applied Materials' Customer Productivity Support(TM) (CPS) organization manages a global service network with more than 3,500 highly trained engineers and technicians who support the company's installed base of more than 15,000 systems at leading chipmakers' fabs around the world. The company's installed base of systems in Europe is over 1,600 systems. The SparesSolutions program is part of Applied Materials' global inventory, planning and logistics system that links 17 distribution centers and depots, including 5 in Europe.

Applied Materials (Nasdaq:AMAT), the largest supplier of products and services to the global semiconductor industry, is one of the world's leading information infrastructure providers.

For more information, visit http://www.appliedmaterials.com. or call 408/563-6209.