Boldt Metronics International Wins KMPG Peat MarwickLld Illinois High Tech Award 1998.

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 23, 1998--KPMG Peat Marwick LLP today honors Palatine-based BMI, Inc. (Boldt Metronics International) with its 1998 Illinois High Tech Award. This award will be presented tonight at a ceremony held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Chicago. Accepting for BMI is Melvin W.

Boldt, founder and chief executive officer and Robert C. Martin, managing director. Other winners in this year's program include Jane Burke, president and chief executive officer, Endeavor Information Systems, Inc., and Shan Padda, chairman and chief executive officer and Doron Levitas, Vice Chairman, CAO, and vice president of International for Sabratek Corporation.

The KPMG Illinois High Tech Award winners were selected for their entrepreneurial achievement and measurable business results. Companies were judged by a prestigious panel of Illinois leaders in business, academia, government, media, and high technology.

"The KPMG Illinois High Tech Awards program focuses solely on honoring achievements in the high tech industry, " said Dick Reck, partner, KPMG Illinois High Tech Awards Program. "The main goal of the awards program is to showcase the success of these local companies to encourage others to take advantage of our state's strong resources and spur further development of innovative new products and services that will influence and improve our future," he added.

BMI's high tech award comes on the heels of several significant announcements. Last week, BMI was named one of America's 25 most successful small manufacturers by IW GROWING COMPANIES, a leading INDUSTRYWEEK publication. The IWGC recognizes "small companies that manage nearly every discipline required of a modern manufacturer."

Due to significant growth, BMI has also recently restructured to form three separate business units:1) Boldt Metronics, 2) Boldt Metals, and 3) Boldt Business Initiatives. This reorganization will enable the company to focus independently on its core businesses--Metronics, which encompasses board-level shielding solutions, and Metal Stamping. The third unit, Boldt Business Initiatives, concentrates solely on research and development, strategic partnerships and product ideas to meet long-term electronics demands.

"I'm thrilled for Team BMI. These awards mean that we have achieved our strategic goal of being recognized as the undisputed champions of the world in Metronics by the year 2000," Boldt said.

History

Under the leadership of Melvin W. Boldt and Robert C. Martin, BMI has progressed from a metal stamping job shop to an international manufacturer and supplier of metal electronic components for surface mount applications. After achieving initial success as a supplier of wire forms, BMI's greatest growth has occurred most recently. In 1993, when BMI began work on an ambitious cell phone project, the company began to develop "Metronics"--a term coined by BMI to describe the precision metal electronic components it provides in tape and reels for surface mount on printed circuit boards.

BMI's new technology has been leveraged by telecommunications and electronics companies across the world. BMI shields now account for more than 60 percent of the world market and its Metronics components are used in more than half of the worlds' wireless phones. BMI employs 198 people and projects revenues of $48 million for 1998. The company is currently exploring opportunities in the computer and automotive electronics industries.

KPMG Peat Marwick LLP is the U.S. member firm of KPMG International, a leading professional services firm. In the U.S., KPMG partners and professionals provide a wide range of accounting, tax and consulting services. As one of the foremost providers of information-based value added services, KPMG serves clients with complex needs by capturing, managing, assessing and delivering information to create knowledge that can help maximize shareholder value. KPMG International has more than 6,500 partners and 85,300 professionals in 155 countries. KPMG's Web site is: http://www.us.kpmg.com.

Headquartered in Palatine, Ill., BMI is the management company of three business units, Boldt Metronics, Boldt Metals, and Boldt Business Initiatives. Founded in 1972, BMI is the leading provider of metal electronic components, EMI/RFI shielding solutions packaged for automated installation, and other advanced technologies for the electronics industry. For more information on BMI, please contact the company at 847-934-4700 or visit BMI's Web site at http://www.bmimetronics.com.