LANCASTER, PA.--December, 1997. Datcon Instrument Company has been officially certified by Caterpillar Inc. as a "supplier of quality material for electrical gauges, meters and senders." This certification recognizes quality performance over a specified period of time, and it takes into account the supplier's annual quality improvement and continuing program of reducing variability. Datcon is a major supplier of electrical instruments and senders to Caterpillar and today, the company supplies products to more than 25 CAT locations around the world.

Five basic requirements must be satisfied in order to become certified:

1. Understand and agree to all quality requirements.
2. Resolve all major and/or chronic quality problems
3. Develop and document a Quality Plan
4. Prepare to provide the Certification Team evidence that your quality system is working
5. Define and institute a system to achieve annual quality improvement

This certification complements Datcon's vision of becoming a world-class supplier of vehicle instrumentation and monitoring systems. The company, having been registered to the QS-9000 quality standard in July, 1997, has now been certified by virtually all of its major customers. During a company presentation at Datcon, president Oddie Leopando acknowledged the partnership between Datcon and Caterpillar, explaining that, "This is a certification that we have all looked forward to for a long time, and it means a lot to us. We appreciate Caterpillar's continued support of Datcon and the relationship that we have developed."

Datcon is a technology-focused, QS-9000 and ISO 9001 certified full-service manufacturer of analog and digital vehicle instrumentation and monitoring systems. Products include instrument clusters and displays; gauges and meters; matching senders and sensors; instrument controllers and electronic control units (ECUs); battery monitoring systems; and various accessories. Datcon is a global company based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., where products are manufactured and assembled for customers in North America and other parts of the world. The company also manufacturers products labeled "AST" through its subsidiary, Industrias Jorda, S.L. in Rubi (Barcelona), Spain for sale in Europe and other countries.

For more information:

Contact: sales@datcon.com