Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

SPOKANE VALLEY, WA – EMS provider Key Tronic Corp. reported revenue of $49.2 million for the fourth quarter, up 4% sequentially and down 6% year-over-year.

Net income for the fourth quarter was $2.7 million, which included a benefit from the company's sale of its former facility in Las Cruces, NM, of approximately $1.5 million.

This compares to $7.1 million for the same period last year, which included an income tax benefit of approximately $5 million.

For the year, revenue was $201.7 million, up 7% from last year. Net income was $5.2 million, down 47% year-over-year.

TAIWAN – Taiwanese contract IC foundries are expected to produce $3.66 billion worth of product, up 16.9% sequentially, thanks to growing demand, according to the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association.

The sector began recovering in the second quarter, with an output of $3.13 billion, up 13.2% sequentially, according to TSIA.

TSIA predicts third-quarter output will increase 5.5% year-over-year. The trend will follow decreases in inventory brought about by growing demand for PCs, cellphones and other consumer electronics, as a result of positive seasonal sales and outsourcing of orders for nanotech products reported by integrated device manufacturers, the report said.

ENDICOTT, NY — The U.S. Department of Defense has increased an existing contract with Endicott Interconnect Technologies by $19 million to cover additional multichip module assemblies and equipment, the company reports.

EI recently bought a flip-chip packaging line, including a screen printer, placement machines, reflow oven and AOI tools to build the additional MCMs.

TAIWAN – Taiwan-based Foxconn has unveiled its first software base in mainland China, according to a report from ChinaTechNews.com. This comes after the company signed a letter of intent with the municipal government of Nanjing earlier this year.

According to the report, CEO Terry Guo said the company chose the Pukou district of Nanjing for its facility, which will design wireless communications networks, enterprise information security and medical software.

The company plans to recruit 30,000 software engineers in five years for the Nanjing site, according to media reports. The site is now operational with more than 200 software developers.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Contract manufacturers are getting into the LCD-TV market in a big way, with global production of such sets expected to rise by more than a factor of five by 2011, iSuppli Corp. predicts.

ATHENS, OH – Innovation, the future and family took center stage when Dr. Jennie S. Hwang addressed Ohio University undergraduates as the schools’ commencement speaker in June.

In her talk, Dr. Hwang, president of H-Technologies Group, focused on the elements she deems crucial for workplace success. She advised the 4,500 graduates and about 25,000 others in attendance to “go for creativity and innovation, no matter what field you will be entering.

Dr. Hwang, who is the first woman to earn a doctorate in materials science and engineering from Case Western Reserve, offered specific words for female graduates. “To have both a career and a family and to do well in both is indeed a daunting task. It takes effort, discipline and planning. But it can be done [and] nothing can be more fulfilling.”

Dr. Hwang, who was previously a commencement speaker at her alma mater, Kent State University, spoke from experience. In addition to raising two children, she was director of technology at Lockheed Martin, and has held top positions at SCM Corp. and Sherwin Williams, and has been a successful entrepreneur, having launched several businesses.