Sterling, VA (June 19, 2000) . . . Gammaflux L.P. has announced the opening of a direct sales/service office in Ube, Japan. The company has hired Vic Chudoba to work out of the new office, from which he will direct service and support of Gammaflux customers throughout the Far East.

"This is the next logical step for Gammaflux in our quest to become a truly global supplier," said David Huntting, Gammaflux President. "We needed to have a direct presence in Asia to better serve our customers, and we are excited to have Vic's experience to lead us in this region of the world."

Chudoba has 30 years experience in the plastics industry as a controls engineer. He most recently worked for 12 years with Ube Industries (America), a Japanese based injection molding machine manufacturer, where he spent up to 40% of his time working with customers in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and China. Prior to his employment with Ube, he worked with C&S Retrofits, Barber-Colman, and Farrell.

Gammaflux already has a strong presence in Japan through its distributor, Nippon S.T. Johnson of Tokyo. "S.T. Johnson stocks a large inventory of our hot runner control modules and components," said Dave List, Gammaflux Sales Manager - Asia/Pacific. "Our new direct office will help support them by providing enhanced customer service and technical support capabilities."

This new office now gives Gammaflux four direct locations, with additional distributor locations worldwide. In addition to the new Japan location and the company's two locations in the U.S. in Sterling, VA and Rockford, IL, Gammaflux has a direct European office, Gammaflux Europe GmbH, which opened in January 1997.

Based in Sterling, Va. U.S.A., Gammaflux L.P. is a leading supplier of hot runner temperature control systems to the plastics injection molding industry. Long known for innovation in control technology, Gammaflux developed the first products to anticipate temperature changes, sense wiring and heater problems, and react instantly to avoid serious mold damage. Combining digital capabilities with precision analog control, Gammaflux systems enable the user to achieve centralized command of molding systems and retrieve critical data for performance analysis. The company serves the automotive, medical, packaging, electronics, household products, and tool building markets.