Sewell, NJ - January 1, 2003

Industrial Equipment & Design Company, IEDCO, announces that they have entered into a distributorship agreement with Matsui Manufacturing of Japan to offer their "TABROPS" Tablet Conveying System to the North American, Puerto Rican and Mexican Pharmaceutical markets.

The TABROPS system offers a contained, gentle and efficient method for the transfer of tablets and capsules over distances of up to 100 feet, thus eliminating the need to have the tablet press directly next to the compression room.

Increasing requirements for factory automation in pharmaceutical plants have led production engineers to look beyond conventional methods of tablet handling. The TABROPS system is a proven safe and efficient solution to the transfer of tablets while reducing or eliminating contamination and breakage.

With the TABROPS system added, the automatic conveying of materials from powders to granules to tablets has been realized in the pharmaceutical plant.