PALO ALTO – The LCD manufacturing equipment market topped $1.5 billion in 2006 and will reach $2.3 billion by 2013, Frost & Sullivan’s World LCD Manufacturing Equipment Markets reveals.
Improved HD and larger LCD televisions increase demand and drives the growth of the LCD manufacturing equipment market. Additionally, decreased panel prices have made LCD TVs more affordable, which will lead to phenomenal LCD TV growth, says Frost.
Despite the increase in panel sizes, the sales of older generation equipment will not come to a standstill as desktop monitors, cellphones and other electronics utilize smaller display sizes. Countries such as China will continue to see investment in older generation equipment as they manufacture large volumes of small-sized displays, says the research firm.
The market’s fierce competition leads to extreme price pressures, further compounded by the fall in glass substrates’ prices. Therefore, for equipment vendors to maintain profitability, they must manage cost structures and find new ways to control costs, concludes the firm.
Improved HD and larger LCD televisions increase demand and drives the growth of the LCD manufacturing equipment market. Additionally, decreased panel prices have made LCD TVs more affordable, which will lead to phenomenal LCD TV growth, says Frost.
Despite the increase in panel sizes, the sales of older generation equipment will not come to a standstill as desktop monitors, cellphones and other electronics utilize smaller display sizes. Countries such as China will continue to see investment in older generation equipment as they manufacture large volumes of small-sized displays, says the research firm.
The market’s fierce competition leads to extreme price pressures, further compounded by the fall in glass substrates’ prices. Therefore, for equipment vendors to maintain profitability, they must manage cost structures and find new ways to control costs, concludes the firm.
GENEVA – STMicroelectronics is closing two U.S. wafer fabs and an IC assembly site.
YAVNE, ISRAEL – Valor Computerized Systems today announced an agreement to implement additional Enterprise 3000 DfM verification software into Freedom CAD Services’ PCB service bureau.
Under the marketing and technology deal, Valor will increase its support to its longstanding design partner to ensure transition from PCB design to fab that shortens time-to-market and reduces end-customer costs.
Under the marketing and technology deal, Valor will increase its support to its longstanding design partner to ensure transition from PCB design to fab that shortens time-to-market and reduces end-customer costs.
This deal comes as a response to FreedomCAD’s growing expansion throughout North America and the international theater.
FRAMINGHAM, MA – Results from a global supply chain survey reveal a disconnect between business objectives and supply chain strategy, says Manufacturing Insights.
According to survey findings, 71% of respondents cited increased quality and customer satisfaction as their top business objective, followed by reducing overall cost and improving productivity (66%), and increasing revenues and exploiting new markets (62%).
However, 48% of respondents cited reducing material, manufacturing, and/or logistics costs as their top supply-chain strategy. Second and third supply strategies cited, respectively, were more responsiveness and timely decision-making across the global supply chain (39%), and more responsiveness to changes in the marketplace (36%).
When asked to identify “the most important IT investment areas in terms of their impact on global supply chain performance over the next two years,” the top three answers were advanced supply network planning or manufacturing scheduling, advanced inventory management or optimization, and supply chain execution, logistics control and management.
The survey results indicate many companies have a gap between overall objectives and how they execute in the supply chain, says Manufacturing Insights.
The research firm conducted telephone surveys of 823 companies in January and February. More than 80% of respondents represented a line of business in their organization, such as supply chain operations, materials management or procurement.
According to survey findings, 71% of respondents cited increased quality and customer satisfaction as their top business objective, followed by reducing overall cost and improving productivity (66%), and increasing revenues and exploiting new markets (62%).
However, 48% of respondents cited reducing material, manufacturing, and/or logistics costs as their top supply-chain strategy. Second and third supply strategies cited, respectively, were more responsiveness and timely decision-making across the global supply chain (39%), and more responsiveness to changes in the marketplace (36%).
When asked to identify “the most important IT investment areas in terms of their impact on global supply chain performance over the next two years,” the top three answers were advanced supply network planning or manufacturing scheduling, advanced inventory management or optimization, and supply chain execution, logistics control and management.
The survey results indicate many companies have a gap between overall objectives and how they execute in the supply chain, says Manufacturing Insights.
The research firm conducted telephone surveys of 823 companies in January and February. More than 80% of respondents represented a line of business in their organization, such as supply chain operations, materials management or procurement.
COLLEGE PARK, MD – DfR Solutions has opened a West Coast branch in Oakland and named a leading expert in optoelectronics reliability as its head.
Dr. John McNulty, who has worked on the packaging, reliability, and failure analysis of telecom devices and commercial laser systems for more than nine years, will run the new center, the firm said today.
McNulty, who has designed and executed accelerated testing plans for individual components and multi-component devices, specializes in random and wear-out failure rate analysis and estimation.
McNulty has a Ph.D. in materials engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dr. John McNulty, who has worked on the packaging, reliability, and failure analysis of telecom devices and commercial laser systems for more than nine years, will run the new center, the firm said today.
McNulty, who has designed and executed accelerated testing plans for individual components and multi-component devices, specializes in random and wear-out failure rate analysis and estimation.
McNulty has a Ph.D. in materials engineering from University of California, Santa Barbara.
PEABODY, MA – Carl Zeiss SMT Inc., a provider of electron- and ion-beam imaging and analysis equipment and services, has moved its North American headquarters from Thornwood, NY, to Peabody, MA, near Boston.
The new facility includes research and product development, manufacturing and application development, sales, system demonstration and service of nanoscale imaging, structuring and analysis solutions.
The 53,000 sq. ft. facility houses a 14,000 sq. ft. development and manufacturing plant, plus an application development and system demonstration lab. In the lab, customers can evaluate scanning electron microscopes, 3-D workstations, energy-filter transmission electron microscopes, and a helium ion microscope.
The new facility includes research and product development, manufacturing and application development, sales, system demonstration and service of nanoscale imaging, structuring and analysis solutions.
The 53,000 sq. ft. facility houses a 14,000 sq. ft. development and manufacturing plant, plus an application development and system demonstration lab. In the lab, customers can evaluate scanning electron microscopes, 3-D workstations, energy-filter transmission electron microscopes, and a helium ion microscope.
The move is aligned with the operational integration of ALIS Corp., developer of helium ion microscopy.
