ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL, Dec. 7 -- SigmaTron International Inc. today reported net revenues increased to $27.9 million for the quarter ended Oct. 31. Net income was $1.3 million, down from $1.8 million a year ago.

SigmaTron had sales of $26.5 million in the year ago quarter.

First-half sales rose $1.5 million, to $52.9 million. Net income fell $800,000, to $2.3 million.

Sales were higher for telecommunications and appliances, the firm said.

Gary R. Fairhead, president and chief executive, said, "Pricing pressures, product life cycle issues and component pricing impacted our results."

The company operates plants in Elk Grove Village (Chicago); Las Vegas; Fremont, CA (SMT Unlimited); Acuna, Mexico; and Suzhou, China. The latter's sales rose in the quarter now employs 135 workers.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI, Dec. 7 -- MiQuest, a maker of electronics assemblies, is planning to expand its factory here to meet higher demand, according to a local news report.

According to the report, city officials are reviewing zoning ordinances in order to pave the way for the firm's expansion.

MiQuest currently employs 50 and could add 20 to 25 more if the city approves the zoning request, the report said.

The company hopes to begin construction "as soon as possible" and production will start early next year, MiQuest project manager Richard Tournier reportedly said.

NEW YORK -- China's Lenovo Group will buy IBM's PC business for $1.75 billion in cash and stock, according to several news reports and company sources.

With the acquisition, Lenovo would become the third-largest PC company in the world, with sales of $12 billion, said Lenovo chairman Liu Chuanzhihe.

IBM is currently the third largest maker of PCs, behind Dell (16.4%) and HP(13.9%). The merged company will have an 8% share of the global PC market.

Leveno will acquire a 81.1% stake with IBM holding 18.9%.

Stephen M. Ward, Jr., currently IBM senior vice president and general manager of IBM's Personal Systems Group, will serve as the chief executive of Lenovo when the deal closes. Yuanqing Yang, currently vice chairman, president and chief executive of Lenovo, will become chairman of Lenovo.

Lenovo, China's biggest computer maker, claiming a 27% share, is traded publicly on the Hong Kong exchange.

In a Dec. 8 research note, Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore said anticipated supplier consolidation by Lenovo could hurt Sanmina-SCI. DB estimates Sanmina-SCI generates about 20% of its revenue from building PC boards for IBM.

"We believe IBM-Lenovo will look to consolidate its supply base following the completion of the acquisition, creating downward pressure on margins [and] pricing across the PC supply chain," Whitmore wrote. He speculated that Sanmina-SCI would either see less volume and lower margins.

Sanmina-SCI could lose $50 million in annual operating profits if Lenovo were to end IBM's existing PC board supply deal.

Lenovo was founded in 1984 and was formerly known as Legend. It has a 2% share of the PC market, according to Gartner.

TEMPE, AZ, Dec. 6 — Economic activity in the manufacturing sector grew in November for the 18th consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 37th consecutive month, say the nation's supply executives.

A report was issued today by the Institute for Supply Management (www.ism.ws) found the closely watched PMI index at 57.8% in November, up one point from October. The new orders index rose 3.2 points to 61.5%. The figures reversed a three-month slide.

"The manufacturing sector appears poised to end the year on a strong note as the new orders index made its way back above the 60% mark, and the employment index picked up significant momentum," said chairman Norbert Ore. "There is still significant upward pressure on prices as commodity price increases are common."

A PMI over 50 is considered a sign of an expansion.

Other findings: There is significant upward pressure on prices. Customer inventories are too low. Order backlogs fell in November. New export orders and imports continued to grow.

Comments from respondents this month focused on inflationary concerns. While many manufacturers are enjoying strong sales, there is concern that commodity prices are eroding profits. Energy leads the list of inflationary drivers as many commodities are derived from oil and gas feedstocks.

Production fell 1.9 points to 57% percent in November. Employment is at 57.6%, up 2.8 points.

The inventories index registered 50.7 percent in November, up from the 48.2 percent reported in October. ISM's customers' inventories index is at 43.5 percent. The prices index fell 4.5 points to 74%.

The order backlog index fell 1.5 points to 47.5%. The new export orders index was 54.7%, down 1.9 points. Imports decreased 0.1 point to 58.4% in November.

"It appears the manufacturing sector is definitely sustaining its momentum as this month's PMI strengthened slightly while continuing to indicate a gradual downward trend," said Ore. "Prices are a big issue, but the strength in new orders offsets some of those concerns as companies work to benefit from the volume."

In November, 15 industries reported growth including Industrial and Commercial Equipment and Computers, and Electronic Components and Equipment.