Ceradyne, Inc. Hires James Portugal as Semiconductor Product Manager; Company Expanding Marketing Scope, Opportunities for Advanced Ceramics

    COSTA MESA, Calif.--April 22, 2003--Ceradyne, Inc. announced the hiring of James V. Portugal as Semiconductor Product Manager in the Company's Advanced Ceramic Operations Sales and Marketing Department. The Company seeks to expand the range of opportunities for its advanced technical ceramic materials and products.
    Reporting to John Mangels, Sales and Marketing Director for Ceradyne's Advanced Ceramic Operations, Portugal will be responsible for business development for the semiconductor equipment industry.
    With ceramic engineering degrees from Alfred University, Portugal has more than 20 years of experience in marketing technical materials for diverse applications in various industries to customers worldwide. Prior to joining Ceradyne, Portugal was business development manager for TOSOH SMD, a manufacturer and worldwide supplier of technical thin-film materials, to both semiconductor equipment OEM's as well as major chip manufacturers. He also has prior engineering and product development experience with the fused quartz/fused silica division of General Electric Co., including new products, marketing, technical support, and profit and loss responsibility. At Alfred University, Portugal earned a Master's degree in ceramic engineering and a Bachelor's degree with a minor in management. He is a member of the American Ceramic Society and the National Institute of Ceramic Engineers.
    John Mangels, Ceradyne Sales and Marketing Director, commented: "Jim brings technical knowledge, product management experience, and business development skills, all of which support our efforts to widen the scope of the Company's marketing activities into the semiconductor equipment industry. While the semiconductor industry has been down for the past couple of years, this industry still represents a major potential market for Ceradyne's advanced technical ceramics. Jim's ability to win major commercial contracts and develop business relationships will play an important role as we develop new ceramic applications and seek new markets and customers."
    Added Joel Moskowitz, Ceradyne CEO: "This addition to John's sales team reflects Ceradyne's ongoing strategy to expand its product line and revenue base. This diversification strategy has fueled the Company's past and most recent growth, in both existing and new markets, and we expect to see this strategy produce additional sources of growth in 2003."
    Ceradyne develops, manufactures and markets advanced technical ceramics for defense, industrial, electronic, and consumer applications. Additional information about the Company can be found at the Company's web site at www.ceradyne.com.

    Except for historical information, certain matters discussed in this news release constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. The Company may use words such as "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "expects," "intends," "future," and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ are described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.