INGRAM MICRO ADDS ACER COMPONENTS TO ITS Frameworks, Total Integration Services LINEUP OF OEM PRODUCTS AND CUSTOM CONFIGURATION SOLUTIONS FOR RESELLERS

SANTA ANA, Calif., July 28, 1997
Ingram Micro Inc., the world's largest wholesale distributor of technology products and services, today announced it has added AcerOpen to its Frameworks, Total Integration Services offering, which it unveiled this week. AcerOpen is a program that allows resellers to purchase Acer components for integration or build-to-order solutions.

"We are pleased to bring AcerOpen to Ingram Micro and add it to our Frameworks offering. We can now provide our resellers access to one of the industry's most respected Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)," said John Winkelhaus, executive vice president of global channel assembly for Ingram Micro. "AcerOpen allows resellers great flexibility, in that they can build their own solutions, or they can have Ingram Micro configure custom solutions that meet their customers' specific needs."

Added Winkelhaus: "Acer Components products appeal greatly to resellers because of their price competitiveness. Acer has become a recognized name for quality hardware products, and is very popular in the retail market. We anticipate that our retail resellers -- and Ingram Micro resellers servicing other markets -- will take advantage of AcerOpen."

Ingram Micro has been distributing Acer's full line of hardware products for five years. The AcerOpen program enhances the relationship between the distributor and hardware manufacturer.

Said Max Wu, president of Acer Components: "Ingram Micro is dedicated to providing its customers with the highest quality products and services. Their build-to-order capabilities are solid, fast and dependable, and they're backed by Ingram Micro's guarantee of quality. AcerOpen is a great opportunity for resellers to provide custom solutions built around Acer's high quality components, and we're proud to partner with Ingram Micro."

Resellers can order Acer components a la carte or as part of a complete, configured custom solution, which can be built on an Acer motherboard with Pentium II, Pentium, Pentium Pro or MMX processors, and third-party manufacturer components. All components are tested for compatibility. The systems are backed by Ingram Micro's one-year, on-site, parts-and-labor warranty, which can be extended up to a three-year on-site or depot warranty.

"AcerOpen is a great add-on service for our company," said Ingram Micro customer Brian Dale, president of Walsenburg Information Systems, a reseller based in Walsenburg, Colorado. "It enables us to be a full-service computer store and provide reasonably priced, reliable machines that are built to customer specifications. We are pleased that Ingram Micro has taken the lead in offering the AcerOpen program."

Ingram Micro has trained several sales specialists for AcerOpen. Configuration will take place at Ingram Micro's ISO 9002-certified configuration center in Chicago, a state-of-the-art facility that boasts 128,000 square feet and more than 135 technicians. As demand for AcerOpen increases, additional Ingram Micro configuration facilities will also configure AcerOpen solutions. Like all of Ingram Micro's custom configuration services, skilled technicians configure products on a per-order basis. Each unit undergoes a quality-assurance test before shipping.

About Ingram Micro's Frameworks, Total Integration Services
Frameworks, Total Integration Services is Ingram Micro's worldwide channel assembly and configuration initiative designed to benefit resellers and manufacturers. Resellers can order complete, configured custom solutions, or they can order OEM components a la carte. Frameworks is beneficial to manufacturers because it reduces inventory overhead.

Frameworks currently offers six main services, including AcerOpen, Custom Configuration, Manufacturer-Authorized Channel Assembly like IBM's Authorized Assembler Program (AAP), OEM Components, Unbranded Systems Configuration, and UNIX Configuration for Hewlett-Packard and Sun Microsystems servers and workstations.

Frameworks technicians are certified in the most advanced platforms and operating systems, such as Acer, Apple, CompTIA A+, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Novell and Sun Microsystems. To ensure Frameworks systems meet performance expectations, they undergo stringent quality-testing at Ingram Laboratories, one of the industry's leading testing facilities.

Frameworks services take place at Ingram Micro's worldwide network of ISO 9002-certified configuration centers, including Santa Ana, Calif.; Chicago; Denver; Memphis, Tenn.; Copenhagen, Denmark; Munich, Germany; Stockholm, Sweden; Milton Keynes, United Kingdom; and Utrecht, The Netherlands. A configuration center in Toronto, Canada is also part of the Frameworks network.

About Acer Components
AcerOPEN and AOpen are brand names used by Acer Components, a division of The Acer Group with almost $6 billion in worldwide sales in 1996. The Acer Group is made up of more than 150 companies and subsidiaries in 38 countries with more than 10,000 resellers in 100 countries.

About Ingram Micro Inc.
Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM), headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., is the world's largest computer technology distributor, with 1996 sales of $12 billion, and a leading provider of assembly and integration services. The company operates in 19 countries and distributes more than 36,000 products to more than 100,000 resellers in 120 countries.

For more information about Frameworks, see our question and answer backgrounder.

Contact:

Cindy Vergets Ragland
Ingram Micro, Inc.
Media Relations
714-566-1000 ext. 23364