Marlborough, MA January 22, 2002 - EKRA recently announced the release of its Off-Line Programming Software package that was developed by Aegis Industrial Software Corporation as part of an OEM agreement between the two companies. The system is integrated with Aegis' CircuitCAM CIM software that allows for rapid conversion of CAD and Gerber data into printer programs complete with print parameters, vision model locations, post print inspection locations, and underside board support locations.

"EKRA is very excited about forming a strategic alliance with Aegis", says Steve Hall, General Manager of EKRA America. "By providing our customers with CircuitCAM CIM software, we give them the ability to program our machines quickly and easily from CAD or Gerber data. We feel that this relationship fits perfectly with our goal of integrating 'Useful Technology,' offering a real benefit to our customer's process."

Jason Spera, CEO of Aegis, says, "Aegis is pleased to be supplying technology to EKRA, and shares the EKRA commitment to solutions targeted precisely to our customers' needs. Creating printer programs from basic design data provides customers a significant speed advantage in new product introductions and engineering changes."