FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATICK, MA, USA November 03, 2008

Cognex Appoints Thomas F. Nash as President of Its Surface Inspection Systems Division

Natick, MA, November 3, 2008—Cognex Corporation (NASDAQ: CGNX), the world’s leading supplier of machine vision systems, announced the appointment of Tom Nash to the position of President of the Surface Inspection Systems Division (SISD).  Mr. Nash reports to Dr. Robert J. Shillman, Chairman and CEO of Cognex.  

Cognex’s Surface Inspection Systems Division specializes in developing turnkey vision systems that are used to inspect the surfaces of metals, paper, plastics, and other materials manufactured in a continuous process. Mr. Nash takes over management of this division from Dr. Markku Jaaskelainen, who has taken on the responsibility of building a team to develop and market a low-cost and easy-to-use PC-based vision system for inspecting the surfaces of materials.  Dr. Jaaskelainen will continue to report to Robert J. Shillman.

Mr. Nash joins Cognex after serving as Vice President of Operations and Marketing for BTU International, a global supplier of thermal processing and automation systems for the electronics, semiconductor and solar equipment markets.  At BTU, he was responsible for marketing, product development, and engineering for the Electronics Business Group, and he simultaneously managed two manufacturing facilities located in the U.S. and China. 

Prior to his career at BTU he served as President of CIMCIS Ltd., a start-up software company that develops real-time process control software for the electronics assembly market.  Mr. Nash has also worked for two divisions of the Black & Decker Corporation: first as Director of Marketing & Product Development with the DYNAPERT division, and later served as General Manager of the LaClede business unit as well as the Director of Marketing of its Emhart Glass division.  He holds a B.S. degree from Boston College, and an MBA from Babson College.

 “I am very excited to welcome Tom as the new President of our Surface Inspection Systems Division,” said Dr. Robert J. Shillman, Chairman and CEO of Cognex.  “Tom brings a wide range of successful experiences…in companies both large and small…managing various aspects of global businesses from product development to sales and marketing.  And, I expect that his more than 10 years of experience doing business in China will enable Cognex to continue…or even accelerate….SISD’s current strong growth in that part of the world.”

CONTACT:

Robin Pratt
Sr. Manager, Corporate Communications
Cognex Corporation
phone:  (858) 350-5065
email: robin.pratt@cognex.com

 

About Cognex Corporation

Cognex Corporation (“the Company” or “Cognex”) invents and commercializes technologies that address some of the most critical manufacturing and distribution challenges. We are a leading global provider of machine vision products and solutions that improve efficiency and quality in high-growth-potential businesses across attractive industrial end markets. Our solutions blend physical products and software to capture and analyze visual information, allowing for the automation of manufacturing and distribution tasks for customers worldwide. Machine vision products are used to automate the manufacturing or distribution and tracking of discrete items, such as mobile phones, electric vehicle batteries and e-commerce packages, by locating, identifying, inspecting, and measuring them. Machine vision is important for applications in which human vision is inadequate to meet requirements for size, accuracy, or speed, or in instances where substantial cost savings or quality improvements are maintained.

Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 4 million image-based products, representing over $10 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, USA, Cognex has offices and distributors located throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. For details, visit cognex.com.

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