AT THE COMPANY:
Paul
Schmitt Chief Financial Officer
(630) 562-4720
AT CREDIT SUPPORT INTERNATIONAL:
Jim
Mayer, Managing Member
(630)
440-1515
jmayer@creditsupport.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 17, 2004
M-WAVE, INC. ANNOUNCES
NEW ORDERS
TOTAL $2.5-$3.0 MILLION ANNUALLY
WEST
CHICAGO, IL. March 17, 2004--M-Wave, Inc. (NASDAQsc: MWAV), a value-added service
provider, and supply-chain manager of high performance circuit boards announced
today that orders entered in the preceding 30 days with several new and
existing customers are expected to total $2.5-$3.0 million annually, a 17-21%
increase over previous annual levels. This includes manufacturing contracted
with American Standard Circuits domestically, and more than 20 supply partners
in Taiwan, mainland China, Singapore, Korea and Thailand. “It appears confidence is building in our business
model that directs customer purchases through our “pipeline” in the U.S. and
Asia - This is evident by our growing order book,” commented Jim Mayer, of
Credit Support International, LLC, the firm’s Chief Restructuring Advisor.
NEW BUSINESS is
supply-chain oriented
M-Wave’s
new business includes increases in supply chain agreements and purchase orders
of custom printed circuit boards for a variety of applications including
digital and wireless RF parts that are negotiated and sold to the customer with
M-Wave managing sourcing, production, testing and logistics. The Company operates in Asia through its Singapore-based
office and serves as a pipeline between middle market end-users, contract
manufacturers and M-Wave’s supply chain manufacturing partners both Asian and U.S. based.
Supply Chain services
In
one contract for example, goods are stocked on a “just-in-time” basis so there
is a perpetual inventory of parts is immediately ready for shipment to the
customer. This not only increases the efficiency of the procurement process by
lowering direct costs but it also allows the customer to effectively reduce its
lead time in receiving printed circuit boards from Asia in days as opposed to
weeks. By managing the supply chain, M-Wave can offer strategic stocking
arrangements the customer might otherwise forego. “This is a good example of
where the new M-Wave is going – We’re creating the pipeline between our
supply partners and customers to maximize their logistical leverage while
obtaining the lowest price, highest quality and best delivery possible,” stated
Joe
Turek, M-Wave’s CEO.
Virtual
Agent Procurement program (VAP)
M-Wave
recently added Virtual Agent Procurement (“VAP”) to its service oriented
offerings. As a twist to the typical sales representative arrangement, VAP
allows M-Wave to become the sole Agent representing the customer rather than
the supplier. This increases materially the power of the customer with respect
to the supply chain allowing them direct access to many suppliers while using
M-Wave as their representative to effectively manage the supply base. “We
become an extension of the customer’s purchasing department with VAP”,
indicated Bob Duke, Director of Sales and Marketing.
The
Company expects that new services like Virtual Agent Procurement program will
increasingly offer new avenues for growth in the future.
About M-Wave, Inc.
Established
in 1988 and headquartered in the Chicago suburb of West Chicago, Illinois, M-Wave is a value-added
service provider of high performance circuit boards. The Company's products are
used in a variety of telecommunications and industrial electronics
applications. M-Wave services customers like Federal Signal on digital products
and Celestica - Nortel and Remec with its patented bonding technology, Flexlink
IITM,and its supply chain management services including Virtual
Manufacturing (VM) and the Virtual Agent Procurement Program (VAP) whereby
customers are represented in Asia either on an exclusive or occasional basis in
sourcing and fulfilling high volume and technology circuit board production in
Asia through the Company’s Singapore office. The Company trades on the Nasdaq National market under the symbol
"MWAV.” Visit the Company on its web site at www.mwav.com.
About American Standard Circuits, Inc.
Established in
1989 and operating from its Franklin Park, Illinois home office, American Standard Circuits (ASC) is
the domestic manufacturing partner of the M-Wave organization. ASC, with the
recent purchase of M-Wave’s facility through an affiliate, now commands over
90,000 square feet of manufacturing capability operating on three shifts with
close to 200 employees. ASC produces both Digital and RF printed circuits on a
time-to-market basis with 24 hour quick-turn capability and short run
production.
About CSI
Established
in 1991 by a European-American joint venture between Groupe Warrant of Belgium and DiversiCorp, Inc. of Dallas, Texas, CSI provided cross-border
collateral control that linked lenders to their assets located both inside the U.S. and Western Europe. In 1998 CSI was split off
from the two partner companies and evolved into a specialized consulting firm
devoted to transitional and troubled middle market companies. Jim Mayer, its
Managing Member, has 18 years of experience including 12 years as CEO of
DiversiCorp, Inc. and has managed or directed more than 50 engagements with
troubled companies and provided a variety of services directly to clients
including: due diligence, workout, collateral control, corporate restructuring,
bankruptcy support, cross-border secured finance and interim management. Mayer
has served on several boards of directors including the Turnaround Management
Association.
This news release contains predictions and
other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and
uncertainties. While this outlook represents our current judgment on the future
direction of the business, such risks and uncertainties could cause actual
results to differ materially from any future performance suggested above. Such
risks and uncertainties include those factors detailed in the company’s annual
report on Form 10-K and other reports filed by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.