1
                                                                  Exhibit (a)(8)
NEWS For Immediate Release

Company Contact:  Nancy R. Kyle   215-784-6436
                                  nkyle@kns.com


Kulicke and Soffa Commences Tender Offer for All Outstanding Shares of Cerprobe

       Willow Grove, PA October 25, 2000 - Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc.
(NASDAQ: KLIC), the world's largest supplier of semiconductor assembly
equipment, announced today the commencement of a tender offer to acquire all of
the outstanding shares of common stock of Cerprobe Corporation (NASDAQ: CRPB)
for $20.00 per share in cash. Cerprobe is a leader in the design and manufacture
of semiconductor test interconnect solutions.

       The tender offer is being made pursuant to the definitive Agreement and
Plan of Merger by and among Kulicke and Soffa, Cardinal Merger Sub., Inc., a
wholly owned subsidiary of Kulicke and Soffa, and Cerprobe, which was announced
on October 12, 2000. The offer will expire on Tuesday, November 21, 2000, unless
extended in accordance with the Merger Agreement.

       The consummation of the tender offer is subject to customary closing
conditions, including that a majority of the outstanding Cerprobe shares are
tendered and the expiration or termination of the Hart-Scott-Rodino waiting
period.

       THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT AN OFFER TO PURCHASE NOR A SOLICITATION OF AN
OFFER TO SELL SHARES. KULICKE AND SOFFA HAS FILED A TENDER OFFER STATEMENT WITH
THE SEC AND CERPROBE HAS FILED A SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT WITH
RESPECT TO THE OFFER. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF BOTH KULICKE AND SOFFA
AND CERPROBE ARE URGED TO READ EACH OF THE TENDER OFFER STATEMENT AND THE
SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT REFERENCED IN THIS PRESS RELEASE BECAUSE
THEY CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION. INVESTORS AND SECURITY
HOLDERS MAY OBTAIN A FREE COPY OF THE TENDER OFFER STATEMENT AND THE
SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED BY KULICKE AND
SOFFA AND CERPROBE WITH THE SEC AT THE SEC'S WEB SITE AT WWW.SEC.GOV. THE TENDER
OFFER STATEMENT AND THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT AND THESE OTHER
DOCUMENTS MAY ALSO BE OBTAINED FREE FROM KULICKE AND SOFFA OR CERPROBE OR BY
CONTACTING CORPORATE INVESTOR COMMUNICATIONS, INC., THE INFORMATION AGENT, AT
(888) 682-7239.

       Cerprobe is a recognized world leader in the design and manufacture of
semiconductor test interconnect solutions. Cerprobe offers products and
integrated

                                       1
   2
systems for wafer and IC package testing. Cerprobe markets and distributes its
products and systems worldwide, and operates domestic manufacturing facilities
in Arizona, California, and Texas and international manufacturing facilities in
France, Scotland, Taiwan, and Singapore.

       Kulicke and Soffa is the world's largest supplier of semiconductor
assembly equipment. The company provides scaleable solutions for the assembly of
chip and wire, flip chip and chip scale packages. Chip and wire solutions
combine wire bonding, die bonding and wafer dicing equipment with wire,
capillaries, die collets and saw blades. Flip chip solutions include die
placement equipment, flip chip bumping technology and thin film laminates.
Kulicke and Soffa also offers unique CSP packaging technology as well as factory
integration products and services. It has sales, service and applications
development facilities worldwide.

                  CAUTION CONCERNING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

         THIS PRESS RELEASE CONTAINS FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS. THESE
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS ARE FOUND IN VARIOUS PLACES THROUGHOUT THIS PRESS
RELEASE AND INCLUDE, WITHOUT LIMITATION, STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE FINANCIAL
CONDITIONS, RESULTS OF OPERATIONS AND BUSINESSES OF CERPROBE AND KULICKE AND
SOFFA AND, ASSUMING THE CONSUMMATION OF THE ACQUISITION, THE CONSOLIDATION OF
CERPROBE INTO KULICKE AND SOFFA, AS WELL AS THE EXPECTED TIMING AND BENEFITS OF
THE ACQUISITION. WHILE THESE FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS REPRESENT OUR JUDGMENTS
AND FUTURE EXPECTATIONS CONCERNING THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR BUSINESS AND THE
TIMING AND BENEFITS OF THE ACQUISITION, A NUMBER OF RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES AND
OTHER IMPORTANT FACTORS COULD CAUSE ACTUAL DEVELOPMENTS AND RESULTS TO DIFFER
MATERIALLY FROM OUR EXPECTATIONS. THESE FACTORS INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO:
THOSE LISTED OR DISCUSSED IN CERPROBE'S 1999 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K405 AND
KULICKE AND SOFFA'S 1999 ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K; BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC
CONDITIONS IN OUR INDUSTRY AND IN CERPROBE'S INDUSTRY; THE RISK THAT THE
CERPROBE BUSINESS WILL NOT BE SUCCESSFULLY INTEGRATED INTO KULICKE AND SOFFA;
THE COSTS RELATED TO THE TRANSACTION; THE INABILITY TO OBTAIN OR MEET CONDITIONS
IMPOSED FOR GOVERNMENTAL APPROVALS FOR THE TRANSACTION; THE RISK THAT
ANTICIPATED SYNERGIES WILL NOT BE OBTAINED OR NOT OBTAINED WITHIN THE TIME
ANTICIPATED; THE RISK THAT WE WILL NOT BE SUCCESSFUL IN MAKING TECHNOLOGICAL
ADVANCES AND OTHER KEY FACTORS THAT WE HAVE INDICATED COULD ADVERSELY AFFECT OUR
BUSINESSES AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE CONTAINED IN OUR PAST AND FUTURE FILINGS
AND REPORTS, INCLUDING THOSE WITH THE SEC. MORE DETAILED INFORMATION ABOUT THOSE
FACTORS IS SET FORTH IN FILINGS MADE BY CERPROBE AND KULICKE

                                       2
   3
AND SOFFA WITH THE SEC. NEITHER CERPROBE NOR KULICKE AND SOFFA IS UNDER ANY
OBLIGATION TO (AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY SUCH OBLIGATIONS TO) UPDATE OR ALTER
ITS FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS WHETHER AS A RESULT OF NEW INFORMATION, FUTURE
EVENTS OR OTHERWISE.

# # #

                                       3