ELK GROVE VILLAGE, ILLINOIS - April 28, 2003 -- Bigston Information Technologies (www.bigston-it.com) today announced that it will provide its production tracking and monitoring computer systems to NanoOpto Corporation's high volume nano-fabrication facility in Somerset, New Jersey. Bigston-IT will implement a manufacturing execution system (MES) that provides real-time tracking for production of NanoOpto's integrated optical devices; these nano-optic components control light using nano-scale features, which are 100-1000 times thinner than a human hair.

"Bigston Information Technologies is extremely pleased to implement our system for NanoOpto," said Norm Plummer, President and COO of Bigston-IT. "This implementation shows the tremendous flexibility of the Bigston-IT system, which is appropriate for a variety of complex manufacturing processes from nano chips to construction equipment."

"Tight production control is absolutely necessary to NanoOpto because of the sophistication of our manufacturing process," said Alexander McCann, NanoOpto Vice President of Manufacturing and Operations. "The Bigston-IT system provides us with a high degree of flexibility to monitor and control our manufacturing processes, flexibility that will allow us to grow and scale the system in line with our future business requirements."

Utilizing bar code technology, the Bigston-IT system allows manufacturers to track production, manage assembly procedures and provide remote monitoring of the progress of an individual product as it moves through the manufacturing process. Built in a web-based environment, Bigston-IT can provide complete visibility into the manufacturing process and up-to-the-minute information for a manufacturer's management, customers, and suppliers.

Real-time information can be accessed from handheld wireless devices, touch-screen workstations, corporate intranet servers, and the Internet. Such access increases knowledge and efficiency for manufacturers, customers, and suppliers -- providing them with real time information about a product's advancement through the manufacturing cycle.

Unlike other systems that tend to be "add-ons" to large systems built on traditional technology, the Bigston-IT system is built from the ground up, using the latest web technologies. As a result, the Bigston-IT system is flexible and easily customized to meet the manufacturer's needs. The Bigston-IT system is also extremely cost effective and can be implemented in a short time frame.

NanoOpto Corporation, headquartered in Somerset, New Jersey, applies nano-manufacturing technology to design and manufacture integrated optical components - nano-optics - for systems and networks. Based on years of research, the company's nano-optical design capability allows orders of magnitude more rapid prototyping, higher performance, and lower overall system cost.

Bigston Information Technologies was formed in 1999, as a subsidiary of Bigston Corporation USA. Born out of a need to monitor the status and progress of renewed consumer electronic devices, Bigston-IT today serves a diverse customer base of complex manufacturing facilities. Much like its parent company, which has served manufacturers for over 30 years, Bigston-IT is finding a solid niche in the real-time economy.