KSaria Intros Automated Fiber Splicer

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- OFC 2002 -- kSARIA Corp. will showcase Presta, the industry's first fully automated, in-line fiber prep and fusion splicing system, in booth 2857, at the Optical Fiber Conference this month in Anaheim, Calif. kSARIA's first Presta system will ship to Celestica, a $10 billion world leader in electronics manufacturing services (EMS), later this month for beta evaluation. (TM)Celestica offers world class optical technology manufacturing services (OTMS) to opto-electronics original equipment manufacturers. "We are pleased to be working with Celestica in the introduction of our revolutionary new fiber-optic assembly system," said Sebastian J. Sicari, kSARIA's president and CEO. "Celestica is an industry leader and its research and development feedback will be enormously helpful in getting Presta quickly to market." A total departure from the industry's present methodology, kSARIA's Presta system integrates fiber prep and fusion splicing into one, continuous, in-line process which boosts throughput and yield while sharply reducing production costs. In a separate release: WILMINGTON, Mass. -- kSARIA Corp., an automation pioneer in fiber-optic assembly, has appointed an engineering professor with more than 40 years' top management experience at IBM to its board of directors. Heinz K. Fridrich, who capped a long series of executive posts at IBM with a seven-year term as its vice president of worldwide manufacturing and procurement, is the latest addition to kSARIA's board. Fridrich has been an industry professor at the University of Florida since 1994 and previously directed an innovative, interdisciplinary program on product and process design at the school. "Heinz brings a wealth of large-scale manufacturing expertise to our board," said kSARIA President and CEO Sebastian J. Sicari. "The timing couldn't be better as we start gearing up our manufacturing organization. His seasoned industry counsel will be invaluable as we prepare for the eventual market recovery when the demand for high-yield automation systems returns." Fridrich is also a board member of Veeco Instruments, Solectron Corp and CH Energy. He has a master's degree in industrial management from MIT and an electrical engineering degree from The University of Esslingen in Stuttgart, Germany. Fridrich attended IBM's Advanced Management School and is a member of several professional associations. He lives in Fernandina Beach, Fla. kSaria Corp. For more information on OFC 2002, please visit: www.nottheofc.com