Frost & Sullivan Names Allegro MicroSystems Sensors Company of the Year

MIAMI--May 2, 20040, 2004--Frost & Sullivan presented its 2004 Sensors Company of the Year Award to Allegro MicroSystems Inc. at last night's Excellence in Industrial Technologies Awards Banquet, in recognition of the company's outstanding management, consistent growth and high-quality products.

Frost & Sullivan presents this award to a company that has demonstrated unparalleled excellence in terms of business development, competitive strategy and customer service leadership in its industry. Frost & Sullivan recognizes exceptional expertise in taking advantage of market changes through the execution of innovative strategies within the existing competitive landscape or by capturing and solidifying market presence.

Allegro specializes in the design and manufacture of advanced mixed-signal analog and digital Hall-effect sensors and analog power integrated circuits (ICs), which have applications in the automotive electronics, automation, industrial and portable electronics markets.

"Allegro's sales increased for its fiscal year 2002-2003 despite the decline in the U.S. economy, and this strong growth can be attributed to the company's focus on a number of key industries, continuous introduction of technically advanced products and offering customer-focused solutions," says Frost & Sullivan industry analyst Alok Tiku.

The company is performing particularly well in the Hall-effect sensors area by continuously introducing application-centric products. Allegro recently developed a package that integrates a Hall-effect sensor IC with a magnet to achieve high airgap performance. Due to its compact size, the package can fit easily into many automotive applications such as antilock brake systems (ABS) that demand much smaller sensors and integrated circuits.

Allegro's concentrating in the automotive sector is garnering high dividends, as the automotive industry continues to see an increase in the number of uses for Hall-effect sensors. Currently, Allegro's Hall-effect sensors are used within the engine, transmission, emissions, suspension, steering, braking, cooling, air bags, doors, windows, seats and other systems in many vehicles.

"Allegro's capability to introduce Hall-effect sensors that offer multiple functions in a single device at lower prices than other manufacturers has confirmed its leadership position for the future years as well," notes Tiku.

In addition, the company has used its product knowledge and design skills in helping customers develop winning products. Allegro builds its Hall-effect sensors on the strong capabilities of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) and bilateral-CMOS (BiCMOS) process technologies, which is a market differentiator.

Both CMOS and BiCMOS are technologies that have gained appreciation in the semiconductor market, and Allegro manufactures most of its current Hall-effect sensors using the BiCMOS processing technology. Because of low voltage and very low input-offset errors, customers prefer a manufacturing process that incorporates two platforms, bipolar and silicon-gate CMOS.

As compared to its industry peers, Allegro stands apart because of the focus on quality manufacturing process, strong customer support and well-entrenched sales and distribution network. Visionary leadership, ability to create value-enhancing solutions for its customers and superlative customer satisfaction levels are expected to ensure the pace of growth for Allegro.

Held in Miami, the Frost & Sullivan banquet honored world-class companies for outstanding performance and achievements in industrial technologies. An annual event, the banquet recognized the quality and merit of distinguished individuals and companies.

About Allegro MicroSystems Inc.

Allegro MicroSystems Inc. is a supplier of advanced mixed-signal power semiconductors and Hall-effect sensors targeted toward the automotive, communications, computer/office automation, consumer and industrial markets. It maintains a leadership position in the integrated magnetic sensor and integrated motor driver product segments. With over 2,000 employees, Allegro is headquartered in Worcester, Mass. Further information about Allegro, as well as free samples on our products, can be found at www.allegromicro.com.

About Frost & Sullivan

Founded in 1961, Frost & Sullivan is recognized as a global leader in growth consulting. Frost & Sullivan Awards are presented to companies that demonstrate excellence in their industry, commending the diligence, commitment and innovative business strategies required to advance in the global marketplace. Frost & Sullivan rigorously analyzes specific criteria to determine award recipients in a vast variety of market industries and landscapes. For further information, visit www.frost.com.