TOKYO, July 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Advantest Corporation (TSE:6857TSE: NYSE:TSE:ATE), the world's leading supplier of semiconductor test equipment, today announced that its president and CEO, Toshio Maruyama, has been elected to serve as a member of the SEMI International Board of Directors. The appointment will become effective at the annual SEMI membership meeting to be held on July 16, during the SEMICON West 2008 exposition in San Francisco. Mr. Maruyama brings a wealth of experience to this appointment. He received his master's degree from the School of Electrical Engineering at Yamagata University and has been working in the test and measurement industry for over 35 years. Prior to his being named President and CEO of Advantest Corporation, Mr. Maruyama served as senior managing director of the company and head of its Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) Sales Division. Earlier in his career he was integral to the design and launch of the company's first commercial test system. From 1982 to 1994, Mr. Maruyama lived in the U.S. and worked to build Advantest's presence in America. In the early 1990s, Mr. Maruyama was president of the U.S. research and development subsidiary, Advantest America R&D Center, Inc., and was involved in establishing local offices around the country. Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, welcomed the results of Mr. Maruyama's appointment by commenting, "Maruyama-san will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to SEMI's long-term initiatives. He has a demonstrated track record of successful corporate management and technical foresight and we expect his contributions to the board to be significant." "It is a supreme honor to be elected to this position and to have the opportunity to serve the technical community in this capacity," commented Mr. Maruyama. "As a member of the SEMI International Board of Directors, I look forward to working closely with my esteemed colleagues and to furthering initiatives that will help our industry evolve and strengthen," he continued. About SEMI SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitability, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. About Advantest Advantest Corporation is the world's leading automatic test equipment supplier to the semiconductor industry, and also produces electronic and optoelectronic instruments and systems. A global company, Advantest has long offered total ATE solutions, and serves the industry in every component of semiconductor test: tester, handler, mechanical and electrical interfaces, and software. Its logic, memory, mixed-signal and RF testers and device handlers are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. Among them, Advantest America, Inc. is based in Santa Clara, CA, and Advantest (Europe) GmbH is based in Munich, Germany. More information is available at http://www.advantest.co.jp/. DATASOURCE: Advantest Corporation CONTACT: Amy Rice Gold, Director, Corporate Communications of Advantest, +1-212-850-670, or fax, +1-212-850-6696 Web Site: http://www.advantest.co.jp/

Copyright