The Company has more than 70 sales offices and 45 stocking locations throughout the world. This global presence gives Richardson the ability to seamlessly support the worldwide needs of our customers.

Richardson uses the term "engineered solutions" to describe its core engineering/manufacturing competency and skill in identifying and supporting cost-effective solutions for its customers.

The Company's capabilities include: product manufacturing, systems integration, prototype design and manufacture, testing and logistics. More than 50 percent of all the Company's products are modified or assembled for customer-specific requirements.

Headquartered west of Chicago in LaFox, Illinois, Richardson was founded in 1947. Through its first quarter-century, the Company specialized in electron-tube distribution. Acquisitions of both manufacturers and distributors of electron tubes during the 1980s fueled the continued growth of the Company, which went public in 1983. With solid-state technology on the rise, Richardson diversified in 1979 by establishing a semiconductor product offering. This diversification strategy resulted in what has become the Company's fastest growing business unit, the RF & Wireless Communications Group, serving the rapidly expanding global RF and wireless communications market and the radio and television broadcast industry.

Today, Richardson is one of the world's leading providers of RF and microwave discrete devices, components and assemblies. Richardson represents many of the industry leaders in RF and microwave technology. [VIEW LINECARD]

Among its varied services, Richardson designs, manufactures and tests RF amplifier modules and pallets for broadcast, cellular, PCS/PCN, paging and other communications applications.

Richardson's other business units follow the same strategy as the RF & Wireless Communications Group - (1) focus on niche markets (2) provide the customer engineering and other technical support and (3) partner with the leading manufacturers serving the market.

Brief descriptions of the other business units follow:

• Industrial Power Group - serves a broad range of customers, including steel, automotive, textile, plastics, semiconductor, marine and avionics industries. Our product offering includes both electron tube and solid-state technology used to control, amplify or otherwise manage electrical currents. Among the many applications are motor-speed controls, industrial heating, laser technology, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, radar and welding.

• Display Systems Group - provides system integration and custom product solutions for the public information display, financial, point-of-sale and general data-display markets. The wide-ranging customer base includes: stock exchanges, airlines and restaurant franchises.

Richardson's website (www.rell.com) includes e-commerce capabilities. Parts information and datasheets can be ordered direct from Richardson at catalog.rell.com.