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Littelfuse Plans to Close Watseka Facility

16 December 1998

Littelfuse Plans to Close Watseka Facility

    DES PLAINES, Ill., Dec. 15 -- Littelfuse, Inc.
announced plans to discontinue operations in its Watseka, Ill. facility by the
middle of 1999.  The closure will affect approximately 110 employees, who will
be offered extended benefits as well as a severance package.
    Littelfuse has operated the Watseka plant for more than 25 years.  In
recent years, however, there has been a steady decrease in demand for products
manufactured there.  The company's planned exits of non-core product lines are
also reducing the facility's production.  The remaining products will be
assimilated into other Littelfuse operations in North America.
    The closure of the Watseka facility will produce cost savings in 1999 and
future years.  It will also allow additional operational efficiencies through
increased utilization of Littelfuse's other facilities.
    Littelfuse is the world's leading producer of electronic, power and
automotive fuses.  In addition to its Des Plaines world headquarters,
Littelfuse has manufacturing facilities in England, Switzerland, Mexico,
Korea, China and the Philippines, as well as Centralia, Arcola and Watseka,
Ill.  It also has sales, engineering and distribution facilities in the
Netherlands, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Brazil and Farmington Hills, Mich.
    For more information, please visit Littelfuse's web site at
http://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, actual purchases under agreements, the effect of
the company's accounting policies, and other risks which may be detailed in
the company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.