BANNOCKBURN, IL – On the heels of one of the largest consumer electronics recalls in history, Trade Association IPC will hold a summit meeting next month to develop standards for the manufacture of lithium ion batteries for portable and handheld electronics. The mid-September meeting in San Jose will be hosted by the IPC OEM Critical Components Committee, which includes representatives from Dell, Lenovo and other major computer manufacturers.
“Without a doubt, standardization can and will address the issue of operation and safety called into question by the use of lithium ion batteries,” said John Grosso, chairman of the committee and director of supplier engineering and quality, sub-tier and critical components, Dell Inc. “While the Committee had identified lithium ion batteries as the next product for standardization, we are going to accelerate our activities now,”
According to Grosso, the committee will identify any current standards related to lithium ion batteries with the goal of standardizing design, performance and safety requirements for these batteries.
Anthony Hilvers, IPC VP of industry programs added that the committee has recently completed a standard for fans for electronics applications and is also working on standardizing performance parameters for power conversion devices for electronic products.
Flowery Branch, GA – EMS provider Qualcon was recently registered by international standards auditor QMI to the ISO 13485:2003 standard for medical device manufacturing.
Although the company has been manufacturing medical devices for more than six years under its customer’s registrations, Qualcon is now manufacturing complex medical devices for its customers and shipping those devices directly to its customer’s customers. The company also provides fulfillment services to its medical device customers, including new product introduction and repair/warranty depot services.
In March, Qualcon was registered to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Good Manufacturing Practice standards, which ensure that products intended for human use are safe and effective.
SIOUX FALLS, SD -- Raven Industries today reported record sales and earnings for its second quarter ended July 31. Net sales rose 11% to $50.4 million versus a year ago, while net income climbed 7% to $5.1 million.
ESSEX, UK -- Remploy Electronics, a U.K.-based electronics manufacturing services company, will double its capacity this year, an online news source reported.
"Our business is growing and we’re investing. The plan is that we will almost double the size of our business this year," general manager Rick Cook reportedly told Electronics Weekly.
Some of the firm's factories are now running 24/7, he said.
Remploy has board assembly facilities in the U.K., in Barking, Essex and Bolton, Lancashire.
Remploy gets some funding from the British government funded and is restructuring some other non-electronics operations, the report said.
UPPER SAUCON TWP., PA -- Lutron Electronics Co., a manufacturer of lighting control products and systems, will create at
least 500 new jobs within five years by expanding its Pennsylvania
operations.
Lutron plans to construct a 250,000-sq. ft. office building, and expand its product evaluation building by some 20,000 sq. ft.
PALO ALTO, CA – Despite lower wages and price pressures from overseas competitors, the adoption of Pb-free solder paste has led a resurgence in reflow soldering equipment market sales in North America.
Industry revenues totaled $41.3 million in 2005 and are estimated to reach $68.1 million in 2012, a 3.8% average annual growth rate, Frost & Sullivan said today.