Nikon Corporation Receives Intel’s Preferred Quality Supplier Award

TOKYO, Japan, March 4, 2010 – Nikon Corporation has been recognized as one of 16 suppliers to receive Intel Corporation’s Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award for their performance in 2009. Nikon is recognized for their significant contributions, providing Intel with lithography scanners, deemed essential to Intel’s success.

“Nikon is honored to be recognized by Intel as a Preferred Quality Supplier, our fifth award win including a Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement award in 2008. We believe this prestigious award reflects our dedication to world-class support of Intel’s leading-edge lithography technology needs, flawless system integration, and continuous improvements in equipment performance and availability. This award is an excellent acknowledgement of the worldwide Nikon team that contributed to our receiving this award,” said Kazuo Ushida, president, Precision Equipment Company, Nikon Corporation.

“Intel congratulates Nikon on achieving the PQS award for 2009,” said Janice Golda, Lithography Capital Equipment Development director, Intel. “Nikon provides excellent support integrating new lithography technology, helping Intel ramp industry leading 32nm factories and continuing to improve the speed, safety and sustainability qualities of our capital supply chain.”

The PQS award is part of Intel’s Supplier Continuous Quality Improvement (SCQI) program that encourages suppliers to strive for excellence and continuous improvement. To qualify for PQS status, suppliers must score 80 percent on a report card that assesses performance and ability to meet cost, quality, availability, delivery, technology and customer satisfaction goals. Suppliers must also achieve 80 percent or greater on a challenging improvement plan and demonstrate solid quality and business systems. Furthermore, the 2009 awardees demonstrated compliance to the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition Code of Conduct and Intel’s Environmental Social Governance Program. Additional information about the SCQI program is available at http://supplier.intel.com/quality.

Celebrations to honor the PQS award winners will be held in conjunction with Intel’s Supplier Day events in Tokyo, Japan and Anaheim, California during the month of March 2010. In addition, an announcement will run in the March 31 U.S. edition and April 1 Europe and Asia editions of The Wall Street Journal with acknowledgement on Intel’s corporate Web site, www.intel.com.

About Nikon
Since 1980, Nikon Corporation has been revolutionizing lithography with innovative products and technologies. The company is a worldwide leader in lithography equipment for the microelectronics manufacturing industry with more than 7,800 exposure systems installed worldwide. Nikon offers the most extensive selection of production-class steppers and scanners in the industry. These products serve the semiconductor, flat panel display (LCD) and thin-film magnetic head (TFH) industries. Nikon Precision Inc. provides service, training, applications and technical support, as well as sales and marketing for Nikon lithography equipment in North America. For more information about Nikon, access our website at http://www.nikonprecision.com.

Intel is a trademark or registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

* Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of others.

####

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in condition, particularly those related to industry requirements and other risks. The Company undertakes no obligation to update the information in this press release.

For further information, contact: 
Bernie Wood, Director of Marketing
Nikon Precision Inc.,
(650) 413-8533 phone, bwood@nikon.com