Littelfuse Acquires Semitron Industries; Acquisition Expands Line of Circuit Protection Technologies

    DES PLAINES, Ill.--July 16, 2002--Littelfuse, Inc. today announced it has acquired Semitron Industries Limited of Swindon, England, in an all cash transaction. Additional terms were not disclosed.
    Semitron has annual global sales of approximately $12 million. Semitron manufactures and markets a broad line of transient voltage suppression devices that provide circuit protection for products in numerous markets including computer, telecommunications, automotive and consumer electronics.
    "The acquisition of Semitron is another step in our strategy to offer the industry's broadest circuit protection portfolio," said Howard B. Witt, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. "It builds on our acquisition of the Harris Suppression Products business in 1999 and our more recent internal development of the PulseGuard(R) line of polymer electrostatic discharge suppressors."
    "The addition of Semitron's transient voltage suppression diodes, thyristors and gas discharge tubes expands our overvoltage protection offering and complements our market-leading overcurrent protection line," said William S. Barron, Vice President and General Manager Electronics. "Littelfuse is now the only company in the world that can offer all the major circuit protection technologies," added Barron.

    Littelfuse is a global company offering the broadest line of circuit protection products in the industry. In addition to its Des Plaines world headquarters, Littelfuse has manufacturing facilities in England, Ireland, Switzerland, Mexico, China and the Philippines, as well as in Centralia, Des Plaines and Arcola, Illinois. It also has sales, engineering and distribution facilities in the Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Brazil.
    For more information, please visit Littelfuse's web site at www.littelfuse.com

    "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

    Any forward looking statements contained herein involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, product demand and market acceptance risks, the effect of economic conditions, the impact of competitive products and pricing, product development and patent protection, commercialization and technological difficulties, capacity and supply constraints or difficulties, exchange rate fluctuations, actual purchases under agreements, the effect of the company's accounting policies, labor disputes, restructuring costs in excess of expectations and other risks which may be detailed in the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.