Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

MINNEAPOLIS -- Abstracts for the SMTA International 2006 conference are due this week. Proposals for short course are also being solicited. The deadline is Feb. 24.

Notifications of acceptance will be made April 14.

To submit a abstract online go to www.smta.org/smtai/call_for_papers.cfm. Papers should describe significant results from experiments, emphasize new techniques, and contain technical, economic or appropriate test data. Material should be original, unpublished and noncommercial in nature.

NORTH BILLERICA, MA -- Oven maker BTU International Inc. today reported net sales of $19.3 million, up 4% sequentially and 41% over a year ago, and net income of $2.1 million, up 31% vs. the third quarter and 2000% over the fourth quarter 2004, for its fourth quarter ended Dec. 31.

HONG KONG -- Nam Tai Electronics Inc., an electronics manufacturing services provider, reported fourth quarter net sales of $247 million, far surpassing the upper end of company guidance and up 62% over same period in 2004.

For the year, the company reported revenues of $797 million, up increase 49% over 2004 and exceeded our guidance of 30% to 35%. Operating income for 2005 was US$52.6 million, an increase of 21%.

It was the company's fifth consecutive record sales quarter and seventh straight year of sales growth. Operating income rose for the fourth straight year.

ATLANTA -- Circuits Assembly today launched its new Web log featuring up-to-the-minute reports and commentary on the electronics manufacturing industry.

The Web log (or "blog") is managed by Circuits Assembly editor in chief Mike Buetow, and will feature regular commentary from several leading technologists.

The blog is located at http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/.

NORWALK, CT – Revenue from major applications and products based on organic electro-optical materials will spike from $2.6 billion last year to $10.5 billion by 2001, an average annual growth rate of 26.4%. According to a soon-to-be-released report from BCC Research, primary applications include displays, telecommunications and photonics, plus laser and nonlinear optics.

Sales of organic-based displays were $615 million last year, the firm says, about 24% of the total market. By 2011, the market will top $3 billion (29% share), BCC estimates, an AAGR of 30.8%.

Organic-based telecommunications and photonics materials were by far the largest market in 2005, accounting for about 75%, or $2 billion. By 2011, that segment will reach almost $7.5 billion, growing 24.9% annually.