Exhibit 99.1


                                                                    NEWS RELEASE



                                   Contact:   Richard N. Grubb, Executive
                                              Vice President and Chief Financial
                                              Officer or Robert A. Freece
                                              Senior Vice President
                                              610/644-1300

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



              VISHAY ANNOUNCES $130-$150 MILLION PRE TAX CHARGE FOR
                        TANTALUM INVENTORY AND CONTRACTS


MALVERN, PENNSYLVANIA - January 21, 2003 - Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
(NYSE:VSH) announced today that its results for 2002 will reflect a write-down
of its current inventory of tantalum powder and wire and an accrual for its
commitments under contracts for the supply of tantalum by Cabot Corporation that
are for prices in excess of market. The non-cash charge will be in the range of
$130 million to $150 million before taxes. Vishay's action reflects weak product
demand for tantalum that is below 1999 levels and increased tantalum production
capacity, which together have resulted in substantial worldwide capacity
under-utilization and severely depressed pricing for this commodity. In June
2002, Vishay agreed with Cabot to amend two agreements for the supply of
tantalum powder and wire. The parties agreed to reduce volumes, and starting in
2003, prices of tantalum products under the agreements and to extend the
longer-term agreement by one year through 2006.



Vishay, a Fortune 1,000 Company listed on the NYSE, is one of the world's
largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors (diodes, rectifiers,
transistors, optoelectronics, and selected ICs) and passive electronic
components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, and transducers). The Company's
components can be found in products manufactured in a very broad range of
industries worldwide. Vishay is headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, and has
plants in sixteen countries employing over 25,000 people. Vishay can be found on
the Internet at http://www.vishay.com.



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