Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

TOKYO – Omron Corp. reported net sales rose 9.2% year-over-year to $5.2 billion for the nine-month period ended Dec. 31, backed by strong sales of electronic components and car electronics.

Net income increased 6.7% year-over-year to $272.2 million.

Capital investment in the semiconductor and electronic components industries weakened in comparison with the same period the previous year, but sales of factory automation control systems – Omron Group’s core business – were generally firm, the company says. Sales of automotive electronic components expanded in line with car electronics demands.

For the current quarter, Omron said markets are expected to be weak as a result of restrained capital investment, primarily among semiconductor and LCD manufacturers. The market for consumer and commerce components for IT and digital related products in Japan is expected to remain difficult to predict in the March quarter. Sales of automotive electronic components are projected to continue expanding, reflecting increasing needs for car electronics.

Omron expects net sales below original projections for the full year as a result of lower-than-expected demand for domestic private-sector investment.

SAN JOSE – Flextronics’s third-quarter adjusted net income rose 84% over last year to $250 million on net sales of $9.07 billion. The company’s December quarter sales were boosted 67%, thanks to its acquisition of rival Solectron Corp.

LOS ALTOS, CA – Ongoing fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis and the predicted retrenchment of consumer spending has put a dent in the prospects for light vehicle demand, Henderson Ventures reports, with unit output forecast to grow 2.5% this year, after a 5.4% burst in 2007, the research firm says.

The softening demand for vehicles will slow automotive electronics growth from 8.1% in 2007 to 5.6% in 2008. The pace will then accelerate to 7.9% in 2009 and 10.5% in 2010, when global automotive electronics production is forecast to reach $140 billion.

This year’s unit slowdown will be felt all over. For example, Chinese output growth will slow from 25.8% in 2007 to 15.5% this year.

Potential car buyers increasingly want onboard access to all entertainment electronics and gadgets they have at home, as evidenced by the profusion of video displays, MP3 player ports and power outlets. In short, increasing electronics content will help offset meager vehicle growth this year, Henderson reports.