MALVERN, Pa., March 31, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE:VSH) today announced that it is a proud sponsor of the 2016 FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics Competition, which this year includes 3,000 teams and over 78,000 students.

Each year, the FIRST Robotics Competition provides high school students from all over the world with an opportunity to compete in an engineering challenge, such as box transit and stacking. Working with adult mentors and only limited instructions, teams of 10 or more students use donated items and components from manufacturers such as Vishay to design, build, program, and test their industrial-size robots to meet the season’s challenge in just six weeks.

Once teams have built their robots, they will participate in one or more of the 120 multi-day regional and district events that measure the effectiveness of each robot, the power of team collaboration, and the determination of the students. Qualifying teams compete for awards and a spot at the FIRST Championship, being held April 27-30 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. In addition, students are eligible to apply for nearly $22 million in scholarships from more than 200 colleges and universities.

More information on the FIRST Robotics Competition is available at http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/frc.

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., a Fortune 1000 Company listed on the NYSE (VSH), is one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors (diodes, MOSFETs, and infrared optoelectronics) and passive electronic components (resistors, inductors, and capacitors). These components are used in virtually all types of electronic devices and equipment, in the industrial, computing, automotive, consumer, telecommunications, military, aerospace, power supplies, and medical markets. Vishay’s product innovations, successful acquisition strategy, and "one-stop shop" service have made it a global industry leader. Vishay can be found on the Internet at www.vishay.com.

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For more information please contact:
Vishay Intertechnology
Andrew Post, +1 610 251-5287
andrew.post@vishay.com