Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

MACAO, CHINA – EMS provider Nam Tai Electronics Inc. today said its president and CFO John Farina has resigned.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. high-tech exports totaled $214 billion in 2007, down 3% compared to 2006, according to AeA.

High tech is the single largest merchandise export sector in the U.S., representing 18% of all U.S. exports to the world in 2007, says the association.

High-tech imports totaled $333 billion last year, up 3%, resulting in a high-tech trade deficit of $118 billion.

“Trade is critical for the U.S. high-tech industry and for every state’s economy,” said Christopher W. Hansen, president and CEO, AeA. “The bad news is that U.S. tech exports declined slightly in 2007. The good news, however, is that tech exports rose in 29 states. These exports support nearly 900,000 American jobs – an often overlooked fact.”

Twenty-nine cyberstates saw tech export growth between 2006 and 2007, according to AeA. The largest growth was in Virginia, Florida, Idaho, New Jersey and Utah, as measured by dollar increase. California was the leading high-tech export state with $48.2 billion in exports in 2007, followed by Texas with $35.9 billion. Florida, New York and Massachusetts rounded out the top five. The largest decrease in tech exports occurred in California, Texas and Colorado.

The largest overseas markets for U.S. high-tech exports were the European Union ($46.6 billion), Canada ($29.4 billion), Mexico ($26 billion), China ($14.5 billion), Japan ($11.9 billion), and Singapore ($9.2 billion), says the association.

The fastest growing large export markets (defined as having $1 billion or more in U.S. tech exports) for U.S. tech exports between 2006 and 2007 were Portugal (+204%), the Dominican Republic (+45%), Belgium (+41%), Colombia (+28%), and Argentina (+21%).

The U.S. imported the most high-tech products from China ($112.3 billion), Mexico ($51.3 billion), the EU ($33.4 billion), Japan ($29.2 billion), and Malaysia ($25.1 billion).

High tech was the second largest import sector, just behind energy products. The largest high-tech import subsectors in 2007 were computers and peripheral equipment ($103.2 billion), communications equipment ($74.0 billion), and consumer electronics ($54.4 billion).

TAIPEI -- BenQ will roll out a line of low-cost, branded notebooks and seeks a five percent market share within two years.

The firm will have company in the low-cost PC race, however, as it joins Asustek, Acer and Dell in the budding "netbook" market. The global netbook market if forecast to hit 50 million units in 2009. BenQ has set a goal of 30% share (15 million units).

SCHAUMBURG, IL – IPC Midwest opened Wednesday to modest attendance and plenty of concern over the economy.

TAIPEI -- Asustek yesterday issued a statement denying any talks regarding a stock swap sale of its PC manufacturing arm.

Speculation in recent days centered on Foxconn as a potential buyer for Pegatron, Asustek's contract manufacturing division.

DRESDEN, GERMANY -- Plastic Logic has begun volume production of displays at its new, state-of-the-art plastic electronics manufacturing facility here.

The fully automated and integrated facility will begin building the company's forthcoming electronic reading product, scheduled to come to market in early 2009.

Plastic Logic holds patents on plastic electronics technology said to cover the manufacture of high-resolution transistor arrays on flexible plastic substrates at low temperatures. The process is said to be simpler than conventional glass silicon processes, and produces active matrix displays that are thinner, lighter and more robust than glass.