FREMONT, Calif., April 23, 2002 - Asyst Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ NM: ASYT), a leading provider of integrated automation solutions that maximize semiconductor manufacturing productivity, today announced that it has named Frederick J. Tiso to the new position of Senior Vice President, Manufacturing Operations.

Tiso, 40, was most recently vice president, global order fulfillment, for Lucent Technologies, where he led a workforce of 1,400 responsible for aligning bookings, backlog and on-time delivery in support of a $24 billion business. Through outsourcing, e-fulfillment and other supply chain strategies, he scaled Lucent's order fulfillment infrastructure by a factor of 12 while reducing cost per order by 35 percent. Prior to joining Lucent, he was senior director, worldwide manufacturing operations for Applied Materials, where he shared responsibility for implementing a lean manufacturing strategy on a low-volume, highly customized product set. He delivered results that included higher quality, higher margins, 75 percent reduction in cycle time, and 95 percent on-time delivery. Tiso received a bachelor of science degree in business from Cal State Polytechnic University.

Stephen Schwartz, executive vice president, product groups and operations, said, "We believe we have the best fab and equipment automation products in the world, as well as a global support infrastructure that leads our segment. During this downturn, we have been highly focused on what we believe is the third key success factor: operational excellence. Fred Tiso has proven his ability to re-engineer business processes and enhance margins, quality and on-time delivery, which are the cornerstones of our operational excellence initiatives. We are extremely excited that he has recognized the opportunities available to Asyst in the coming industry upturn."

About Asyst: Asyst Technologies, Inc. is a leading provider of integrated automation solutions that enable semiconductor manufacturers to increase overall equipment effectiveness, improve yields and increase fab throughput. The company offers a broad range of 200mm and 300mm solutions that enable the safe and rapid transfer of wafers and information between process equipment and the fab line throughout the IC fabrication process, while reducing IC damage caused by human, environmental, mechanical and chemical factors. Asyst's homepage is http://www.asyst.com

Safe Harbor: Except for statements of historical fact, the statements in this press release are forward-looking. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. These factors include, but are not limited to, general economic conditions, semiconductor industry cycles, risks associated with the acceptance of new products and product capabilities and other factors more fully detailed in the Company's recent 10Q quarterly report on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT:
Investor Contact

John Swenson
Asyst Technologies, Inc.
(510) 661-5000
jswenson@asyst.com