KIC Press Release April 26, 2004 - KIC Announces KIC 24/7 Remote Process Monitoring (RPM) Option and sales and service facility in Suzhou

(Suzhou, China -- April 26, 2004) : KIC, the leader of thermal process development and control software and winner of multiple VISION awards, announces that a Remote Process Monitoring (RPM) option has been added to the KIC 24/7 Thermal Management System.

Scheduled to be released in April 2004, the option allows customers to view real-time thermal process data from any KIC 24/7 on their reflow ovens at any authorized computer on the Local Area Network (LAN).

The RPM option is comprised of three different software applications:
1. The KIC 24/7 RPM Output is a software option on the computer by the reflow and curing oven that runs the KIC 24/7. Its function is to send data over the network to the KIC Server software.
2. The KIC Server software function is to automatically connect all the KIC 24/7 products that are running RPM and to pass on the data to any authorized computer on the LAN that properly logs on.
3. The KIC Viewer displays the data from all KIC 24/7‘s connected to the KIC Server on the remote PC that has logged onto the KIC Server.

The KIC Viewer displays the pertinent data in two different views.

The Icon View: The Icon view provides the PWI number and Cpk number and alarm state for each product as they exit the oven with the KIC 24/7. The alarm states are color-coded (green, yellow, red) in accordance with the standard KIC 24/7 nomenclature. This information is organized as a box per oven, and it displays the oven name or line number, and product name. When right-clicking on the box, the user can view the history for that oven. The history provides all the standard KIC 24/7 information such as all the production event logs, production run data such as statistics, and basic SPC graphs.

The Chart View: The Chart view displays the PWI number for each of the last 100 products processed through each oven with the KIC 24/7 RPM.

The RPM option offers numerous benefits to users:
1. The KIC 24/7 provides valuable thermal process information in real-time. The KIC 24/7 RPM can supply this information to all relevant decision makers wherever they happen to be in the factory. The results are better data management, efficient process management and oversight, and faster reaction to thermal process issues in the factory.
2. Remote Process Monitoring provides superior information sharing for the factory as a whole. The KIC 24/7 monitors, controls, and displays at the oven the thermal process information for a single oven. The KIC 24/7 RPM will, on a single screen, show all the pertinent data for all the ovens in the factory on any authorized computer on the LAN.
3. The RPM translates complex process issues into a very easy to understand format. Quality, production and engineering managers as well as line supervisors will access meaningful factory-wide quality and productivity information in real-time without the need for staff meetings lengthy reports interpretation unnecessary visits to the factory floor.

About KIC
Based in San Diego, KIC is the industry leader in automated thermal management tools and systems for reflow, wave, cure and semiconductor thermal processes. The company pioneered the development of oven profilers and process development tools. KIC remains on the leading edge of the thermal industry with innovative tools for process development, optimization and real-time management.