Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

KUALA LUMPUR -- Flextronics International will close its factory in Shah Alam, putting nearly 1,400 employees out of work, Reuters reported today.

BANGKOK -- Top electronics manufacturing services company Hana Microelectronics’s 2008 sales were flat year-over-year at $452 million. Operating profits were also flat, at $55.5 million. Net profits fell 22% in Thai currency.

The 2007 figures, however, included the sale of a large subsidiary. Hana gained Bt504.6 million from the sale of Advance Interconnec Technology in September 2007.

Hana is the world’s 33d largest EMS firm, according to Circuits Assembly’s rankings. Its microelectronics unit's sales were up 1% for the year, despite a 13% drop year-over-year in the fourth quarter.

The company's sales and operating profits were down 3% and 4%, respectively, in Thai bahts, but adjusted for US currency changes, were essentially flat.

In a press release, Hana said, "The drop in demand experienced in the fourth quarter has continued and worsened in the first quarter and we anticipate it to continue into the second quarter. As a result we anticipate the possibility of an operating loss for the first half of the 2009. We have undertaken appropriate measures in headcount reduction (approximately 12%), short working week, payroll cuts for management and cancellation of certain bonus schemes. These will be reviewed in light of the on going economic situation."

1 THB (Bt) = 0.0277045 US$

OXFORD, CT – Mirtec Corp. has purchased a 5,000 sq. ft. facility to accommodate its North American sales and service division.

The Oxford, CT, facility will be equipped with demonstration and training facilities for the company’s AOI product line.

“This expansion is in direct response to growing demand for our products and services, resulting in a significant increase in market share throughout North America,” said Brian D’Amico, president of Mirtec's North American subsidiary.

Last year, Mirtec’s parent company in Korea acquired a 35,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Seoul.

TEMPE, AZ -- The US manufacturing sector contracted in February for the 13th consecutive month, according to the latest survey of the nation's executives.

HELSINKI -- Months after watching Apple steal its thunder in the 3G market, Nokia is readying to return the favor.

Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said the world's largest cellphone maker plans to enter the laptop market to capitalize on trends toward cellphone and PC convergence.

According to a report last week by Citigroup, Nokia's first computer will launch in the first half of 2010. The PC, either a netbook or a PC tablet, will probably feature an Intel Atom microprocessor and Linux operating system, Citigroup said. The analyst believes Nokia will outsource production to Compal Electronics or Hon Hai (Foxconn).

Netbooks -- low-cost, stripped-down PCs with minimal software and processing power -- are the fastest-growing segment of the PC market, according to several research firms.