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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1
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NEWS RELEASE

                                     Contact:  JOHN PINO
                                               ACT Manufacturing, Inc.
                                               978-567-4000


                            ACT MANUFACTURING, INC.
                     STATUS OF LIQUIDITY INCLUDING WAIVERS
                          UNDER U.S. CREDIT AGREEMENT


Hudson, Massachusetts, December 19, 2001 - ACT Manufacturing, Inc. (Nasdaq:
ACTM) today announced that it had obtained and been operating last week under a
Third Limited Waiver to its Credit Agreement with its domestic bank syndicate,
which is led by The Chase Manhattan Bank.  The limited waiver expired on
December 14, 2001.  The Company is currently in default under the Credit
Agreement.  The domestic bank syndicate has not agreed to any additional or
extended waivers under the Credit Agreement, and the Company has fully utilized
the available liquidity under the Credit Agreement.  The Company's North
American operations have very limited liquidity at this time.  While the Company
continues to pursue all alternatives, the Company has limited options available.
Accordingly, the Company can provide no assurance that it will obtain any of the
liquidity that it requires or any of the waivers or consents it requires from
the domestic bank syndicate or other parties. The Company is considering, a
number of actions, including additional layoffs at several locations and the
possibility of seeking protection under the federal Bankruptcy Act, in order to
preserve its assets and value.

ACT Manufacturing, Inc., headquartered in Hudson, Massachusetts, provides value-
added electronics manufacturing services to original equipment manufacturers in
the networking and telecommunications, computer and industrial and medical
equipment markets.  The Company provides OEMs with complex printed circuit board
assembly primarily utilizing advanced surface mount technology, electro-
mechanical subassembly, total system assembly and integration, mechanical and
molded cable and harness assembly and other value-added services.  The Company
has operations in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Mississippi, France,
England, Ireland, Mexico, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that are neither guarantees nor
promises, but which are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those anticipated.  We caution you not
to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as
of the date made.  Forward-looking statements relate, among other things, to
ACT's role in the electronics manufacturing services market, the results of
actions taken by management, the strength of our customers' markets and the
outsourcing model in the electronics industry, expected operating and financial
results, sources of liquidity and capital resources, effects of our cash
management plan, negotiations with lenders and other parties, anticipated
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results of restructuring efforts, developments within the customer base and
market opportunities, future customer shipments, and the plans and objectives of
management.  Those risks and uncertainties include, among others: changes or
anticipated changes in economic conditions; trends in the electronics industry;
the strength of our customers' markets and future customer demands; the
financial condition of our customers; the inability to achieve satisfactory
financial arrangements with bank lenders and other financial sources; the
inability to successfully integrate acquired businesses, the inability to
achieve expected synergies and cost associated with acquisitions; the
effectiveness of managing manufacturing processes; increased competition and its
effects on pricing, revenues and gross margins, and our customer base; our
ability to timely complete, configure and ship products; and changes,
reductions, delays or cancellations of customer orders.  In addition, our
business and results of operations are subject to numerous additional risks and
uncertainties, including the short-term nature of customer orders, customers'
announcements and introductions of new products or new generations of products,
evolutions in the life cycles of customers' products, inventory obsolescence and
currency exchange rate movements.  For a more detailed discussion of the risks
and uncertainties of our business, please refer to our periodic reports filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the period ended December 31, 2000 and our Quarterly Reports on Form
10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2001, June 30, 2001 and September 30, 2001.


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