SAN JOSE - Sales of EDA software and services reached $1.1 billion in the fourth quarter, up 3% year-on-year. For the year, revenue hit a record $4 billion, said the EDA Consortium (edac.org).

"In 2004, The EDA industry crossed the $4 billion mark," said Walden C. Rhines, chairman of the EDA Consortium and chairman and CEO of Mentor Graphics Corporation. "Every quarter saw consistent year over year growth for the whole industry, though the North American region, as well as the IC Physical Design & Verification segment, were both down for the year." 

For the quarter, product and maintenance revenue (excluding services) increased 3% to a record $1 billion. PCB and MCM layout tools hit $91 million, up 9%. CAE sales were up 9% to $523 million. IC physical design and verification fell 6% to $326 million. Semiconductor intellectual property (SIP) revenue was down 2% to $71 million.

Services revenue was $67 million, up 5%.

For the year, CAE revenue was up 5% to $1.9 billion. IC physical design and verification fell 4% to $1.2 billion. Sales of PCB and MCM layout tools rose 3% to $341 million. SIP revenue rose to $314 million from $281 million, due in part to new company participation. Services revenue totaled $280 million in 2004, a 12% increase.

North America, EDA's largest customer base, purchased $494 million worth of products and services in the fourth quarter, down 14% from a year ago. Western Europe jumped 33% to $268 million. Japan grew 14% to $188 million. The rest-of-world rose 23% to $128 million.

For the year, North American revenue down 4% to $1.95 billion, good for a 49% global share. Western Europe rose 12% to $820 million. Japan was up 2% to $783 million. Other regions combined to rise 22% to $466 million.

Tempe, AZ - Manufacturing ticked down in March yet grew for the 22nd consecutive month. Growth in new orders and inventories helped offset lower production, and backlogs jumped, said the Institute for Supply Management (ism.ws).

"The manufacturing sector maintained its strength in March, ISM chairman Norbert Ore said, adding that "price inflation continues to present a problem for manufacturers."

The PMI measure of economic activity ticked down 0.1 points sequentially, to 55.2%. New orders were up 1.3 points to 57.1%. Production was almost even, at 56.5%. Employment was down 4.1 points, to 53.3%.

Electronic Components and Equipment, and Industrial and Commercial Equipment and Computers were among the sectors reporting growth.

[TABLE]

                                     Nov.       Dec.     Jan.     Feb.        March

PMI                                57.8     57.3    56.4   55.3     55.2

New orders                  61.5     61.6    56.5   55.8     57.1

Production                    57.0     56.7    57.8   56.7     56.5

Inventories                   50.7        52.8      52.8     48.6        54.1

Customer inventories   43.5        44.0      44.5     42.5        46.0

Backlogs                      47.5        54.0      50.5     50.5        56.0

Source: Institute for Supply Management, April 2005

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, April 5 --  Synova has opened a new Japanese office to provide localized sales and support for the company's water jet-guided laser systems.

Accounting for more than 40% of Synova's revenue in 2004, the Asia-Pacific region is the company's largest market, with the majority fueled by the semiconductor and electronics sectors. 

Synova has also recently opened local offices in Hong Kong and Korea, and established distributor partnerships in Taiwan, China, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and India. 

The small amount of nickel in SN100C modifies its behavior so that in wave soldering the resultant alloy exhibits fluidity comparable with that of traditional tin-lead solder, AIM said in a press release. The result is that excess solder drains off the joint and bridges and icicles are avoided. The nickel also provides smooth, bright and well-formed fillets, AIM said.

SN100C contains no silver or phosphorus, and is not aggressive toward copper traces and pads or stainless-steel components of soldering equipment.