SAN FRANCISCO -- A leading analyst today maintained its cautious outlook for providers of electronics manufacturing services.
Deutsche Bank said recent reports from major OEMs that outsource manufacturing indicate tepid and in some cases negative growth ahead for EMS firms.
In hardware sales, IBM, a leading outsourcer, reported a 1% year-on-year increase in the fourth quarter due to slowness in its mainframes, storage and PC businesses, down from 9% sequentially. Motorola and Juniper fell on a year-on-year basis.
Handset shipments improved as Motorola and SonyEricsson beat quarterly forecasts, although the average selling prices were lower than expectations, DB said.
SECAUCUS, NJ -- Panasonic Industrial Co. today named Arrow Electronics as an authorized North American distributor of its passive and electromechanical products, effective Feb. 28.
Arrow, one of the world's largest component distributors, currently sells Panasonic's parts in Europe and Canada.
by Mike Buetow
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 14 - Solectron Corp.
will close one of its four factories here in May and pay a reported
$1.6 million to the 750 displaced staff, a local newspaper reported
today.
The Business Times reported
Solectron said the Johor plant was no longer viable due to customers'
changing needs. Most of the business will be transferred to other sites
in the region," Joe Tang, south Asia operations vice president, was
quoted as saying.
Solectron employs more than 7,000 workers at its four manufacturing plants here.
Analysts feel the nation's electronics manufacturers are migrating to lower cost regions, the Business Times said.
ALAMEDA, CA, Jan. 14 - Technology Forecasters Inc. forecast that last year's double-digit growth for the EMS and ODM industry will continue into 2005.
In its latest report, the market research group forecasts average growth rates over the next five years of 15% for EMS, 20% for ODMs, and 16% for all outsourcing.
Overall drivers for healthier growth include the fact that EMS companies, led by Flextronics, are making a major commitment to the ODM model to maintain customers. "There are more opportunities for cooperation between ODM and EMS companies," said vice president Eric Miscoll. "As ODMs brand their products and push into the OEM space, there's less competition between the ODM and EMS business models, because they send their manufacturing to EMS."
TFI also reported:
- As RoHS and WEEE regulations take effect, OEMs and EMS companies are reviewing bills of materials for compliance. "It's a good time to take a look at a wide range of design for manufacturing issues, while ‘the patient is on the operating table," recommends president Pamela Gordon Gordon. "Additional cost savings will come not only from more efficient designs, but also from pruning product lines before the compliance deadlines."
- The firm's Beijing-based analyst Mark Natkin's says local technology standards are being promoted by the Chinese government to help create a sense of national unity. "Even failed standards help achieve this goal, so expect this trend to continue," he says.
The firm's next quarterly market meeting takes place March 9-10 in Guadalajara and features comparisons between manufacturing in Mexico. Also to be covered: outsourcing lessons learned in computers, environmental compliance in low‑cost regions and a panel discussion on the current status of manufacturing in Mexico.
by Mike Buetow
Jan. 14, West Haven, CT - Enthone
Inc. will discuss the latest
in lead-free final finishes and microvia metalization during a series of presentations
at an upcoming trade show.
Enthone will sponsor
30-minute presentations at the booth of its parent company, Cookson
Electronics, during IPC Apex/Printed Circuits Expo. The sessions will
provide the most recent advancements in. The include:
Presentations will cover advancements
in microvia fill applications using patented direct metalization and copper via
fill systems, and lead-free silver finish OSPs said to be able of handling
multiple reflows.
Presentations will be made on Feb. 22 and 23. Seating is limited; email Barry Lee Cohen at bcohen@cooksonelectronics.com to reserve.
by Mike Buetow
ROGERSTONE, South Wales, Jan. 15 - Ultra Electronics Sonar and Communication Systems has awarded a major defense electronics contract to Ttems, a provider of EMS services. Under terms of the deal, worth a reported £6 million over the next 10 years, Ttems will build sonobuoys as part of a program for the U.K. Ministry of Defence.
TTems will be involved in design and manufacturing the sonobuoys.
Sonobuoys are devices that can be dropped from helicopters to detect and locate underwater objects by reflecting/intercepting acoustic waves from an underwater, surface, or above surface acoustic source. The sonobuoys operate in the same way that radar and radio direction finding equipment operate with electromagnetic waves.
U.K.-based Ttems is a subsidiary of TT electronics. It is comprised of AB Electronic Assemblies in Rogerstone, South Wales, and Welwyn Systems in Blyth, Northumberland.
Press Releases
- SIA Applauds CHIPS Act Incentives for GlobalWafers Projects in Texas and Missouri
- ROCKA Solutions Continues Expansion in Brazil with New Location in Manaus
- Juki America Announces New Regional Sales Manager for the Southwest Territory
- WittcoSales Welcomes New Team Member to Enhance Customer Experience and Service