News
Reptron Electronics Inc. (Tampa, FL), an electronics manufacturing services company, reported that its Second Amended Plan of Reorganization under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code was confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court on Jan. 14, 2004. Reptron anticipates the effective date of this confirmation to occur on Jan. 26, 2004, which is about 90 days from the original filing date.
Under the confirmed plan of reorganization, the company's unsecured class of creditors that includes its existing convertible notes will receive new notes with a total principal amount of $30 million. The existing notes, along with all accrued and unpaid interest, will be cancelled. The unsecured class of creditors will also receive 95% of the common shares of the reorganized company. Existing common shareholders will receive the remaining 5% of the common shares of the reorganized company.
"The restructuring of our convertible notes is a key component in our strategic plan, which we believe positions the company to take advantage of future growth opportunities," said Paul J. Plante, Reptron's president and chief operating officer. "Once the restructuring is completed, Reptron will have reduced its debt load by over $70 million over the past 12 months. We are extremely pleased to have completed this restructuring in such a short time frame."
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
IPC (Northbrook, IL) and JEDEC, the Solid State Technology Association, have announced plans to further their efforts in preparing electronics manufacturers for the inevitable European ban on lead by co-sponsoring three international conferences on Lead-Free Electronic Components and Assemblies in the U.S., Europe and Asia in 2004.
Ever since the European Union agreed upon the Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) Directive, in which all affected electrical equipment sold in Europe after July 1, 2006, must be free of lead, IPC and JEDEC have taken an active role in keeping the industry informed of changing requirements and encouraging the voluntary elimination of lead. In their second year of jointly producing domestic and international conferences on lead-free electronics, IPC and JEDEC will host lead-free conferences on March 17-19, 2004, in San Jose, CA; in August 2004 in Singapore and Oct. 20-22, 2004, in Frankfurt, Germany.
Each international conference provides tutorials focusing on subjects such as manufacturing with lead-free, halogen-free and conductive adhesive materials, as well as various workshops that introduce lead-free solders and present selection criteria for lead-free compositions.
The associations will also select industry experts to present a two-day technical conference covering crucial lead-free topics. Presently, conference chairs Jean Hebeisen and David Bergman of IPC and John Kelly and Donna McEntire of JEDEC are seeking papers and presentations in the following areas:
Policy: European lead ban status
Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Industry: On the front line of the change
Component issues (passives and actives)
Design issues
Environmental health and safety effects and alternatives
Printed circuit board (PCB) issues
Original equipment manufacturer (OEM)/Consumer demands/voluntary elimination dates
Recycling options
Substitutions: New commercially available alloys/conductive adhesives/ease of replacement
Cost issues
Reliability evaluations (such as temperature cycling data, tin whiskers)
Roadblocks to implementation
Finishes issues: Organic solder protectants, immersion tin, silver, electroless nickel and palladium
Lead-free and other product sectors
For more information on the conferences or submitting abstracts, visit: www.jedec.org or www.ipc.org.
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
The monthly order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA, Arlington, VA) took its annual December dip, but the outlook remains positive for 2004.
"Based on previous years, we expected a December dip," said Bob Willis, ECA president. "The good news is that the December dollar value is up by more than 20% over 2002, and the 12-month moving average ended on an upward note. Our members believe that 2004 might be the first year of sustained growth since 2000."
Electronic components are the building blocks of most consumer goods and technology hardware, so the industry normally reflects the movement of the economy as a whole. This year, the outlook is good. Nariman Behravesh, chief economist for Global Insight, predicts that economic growth in 2004 will be the strongest since the bursting of the high-tech bubble in 2000, with the U.S. and Asian countries outside of Japan enjoying the fastest growth.
Behravesh said, "The beleaguered manufacturing sector will finally enjoy a year of strong, uninterrupted growth - barring any unforeseen shocks."
According to Willis, the ECA has scheduled a full slate of events and marketing opportunities that will help its members make the best of the industry's rebound.
"There is a lot of justifiable optimism, but companies need the resources to manage the intricacies of demand, raw materials, supply flow, distribution, inventory and other interrelated issues," said Willis. "We had prosperity a few years ago, but it went bust. We want our members to have access to the information and opportunities that will allow them to take advantage of the good and mitigate the bad."
Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.
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