Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

EAZIX Inc., the design service and original design manufacturing (ODM) arm of electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider Integrated Microelectronics Inc. (IMI, Laguna, Philippines), announced its partner distribution program with MEV Elektronik Service Gmbh (Hilter, Germany), a distributor and stocking representative for electronic niche components.

MEV offers procurement of electronic components and logistics services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and EMS companies in Central and Eastern Europe. With the value added reseller partnership with EAZIX, MEV will also be an authorized distributor of EAZIX's line of wireless connectivity ODM products, including wireless local area network 802.11b and 802.11g embedded modules and adapters supporting USB 2.0, PCMCIA, mini PCI, and Compact Flash standard interface. EAZIX upcoming solutions available in Europe also include wireless multi media adaptors, remote automation and control solutions and ZigBee/IEEE 802.15.4 and Bluetooth modules and adapters.

The distribution partnership capitalizes on EAZIX' strength in firmware and hardware design for wireless ODM solutions and design services, and MEV's experience in distribution to established OEMs.

MEV president Dieter Tappmeyer said, "We foresee high demand coming from European wireless OEMs for wireless ODM platforms that will require more complex level of customization, such as the solutions developed by EAZIX."

Research group iSuppli predicts that the number of embedded devices supporting WiFi technology will increase to 167.8 million units in 2008, up from $436 million in 2003.

www.eazix.com

www.imiphil.com

www.mev-elektronik.com

Due to ever-changing customer needs and recognizing its growing international stencil business, DEK (San Jose, CA), a high accuracy mass imaging solutions provider, has announced the installation of next-generation laser cutting equipment in its Guadalajara, Mexico, stencil manufacturing facility.

"The addition of this equipment is in direct response to current and anticipated customer requirements," said Neil MacRaild, North American general manager for DEK Process Support Products. "Our worldwide stencil business continues to grow and we are seeing significant business development in Mexico."

The laser equipment, which is a proprietary DEK system, provides production speed while delivering precision and control. With a guaranteed aperture dimension tolerance of ±5 µm over the entire printable area, the laser equipment enables the manufacture of stencils for precise surface-mount technology and semiconductor packaging applications.

Jose Perez, DEK Mexico general manager, said, "This enhancement to our manufacturing capability in Mexico is very exciting because it speaks to the volume our business is enjoying and to the dedication DEK has to providing necessary resources for growth. Our customers' manufacturing volumes require this increase in capacity and we have delivered."

DEK's international stencil operating procedures enable customers to transfer data, processes and products to any of DEK's worldwide locations. The company has seven stencil manufacturing sites in North America and eight facilities in Europe and Asia.

www.dek.com

The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI, Herndon, VA) is hosting an open workshop to review year-to-date progress on the 2004 NEMI Roadmap. The meeting is scheduled for June 23 at NEMI headquarters.

"This workshop serves as an important reality check for the teams writing the various roadmap chapters and helps us enhance the quality of the final product," said Jim Arnold, director of roadmapping for NEMI and a fellow of the Motorola technical staff. "It also gives the industry a sneak peak at what will be featured in the final roadmap. This year, we are actively soliciting global participation in this review as we begin the first steps toward internationalizing the NEMI roadmap. For example, we have already secured commitments from the Components, Packaging and Manufacturing Technology Society (CPMT) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE/CPMT) and IMAPS Europe to participate. In addition, we have had positive interactions with Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), and representatives from Japan will be involved in the 2004 roadmap."

Every two years, NEMI maps the future manufacturing needs of the global electronics industry to identify the key technology and infrastructure developments required to assure leadership of the supply chain over the next decade. It helps companies anticipate shifts in product requirements and provides an early warning of changes in technology or infrastructure. It also serves as the foundation of all of the consortium's activities.

The 2004 roadmap marks the tenth anniversary of this initiative. The first roadmap was created in 1994 by the National Electronics Manufacturing Framework Committee, a group of 200 individuals from industry, government and academia who came together to study the challenges facing the nation in electronics manufacturing and to develop technology roadmaps and policy options with which to address these challenges. To celebrate this milestone, NEMI is planning a banquet on the evening of June 22 at the consortium's headquarters. The event will feature speakers from industry and government and provide an opportunity for the group to meet informally prior to the workshop sessions the next day.

The workshop registration fee is $200 for non-members and $100 for members, and includes attendance at the banquet, participation in the workshop (including lunch and breaks), a CD of workshop presentations and the 2004 NEMI Roadmap CD when published.

For more information, visit: www.nemi.org/roadmapping/june_TWG.html.

Cookson Group plc (London, UK) announced that Stephen Howard intends to relinquish his role as group chief executive after the identification and appointment of a successor. The process of identifying a successor has commenced and the Board hopes that an appointment will be made during 2004. Accordingly, it is expected that Howard will leave the company on or before Dec. 31, 2004.

Howard has been a director of Cookson since 1992 and in his current position since 1997. During the seven years of his tenure as group chief executive, Cookson has been fundamentally reshaped into a highly focused group, centered around electronics and ceramics, with the precious metals division the subject of an ongoing strategic review, as announced on March 15, 2004.

Stephen Howard said, "My eighteen years at Cookson have been enormously fulfilling, but the time has simply come to do something else. The company is now in excellent competitive shape and the long-awaited recovery is clearly underway, making this year the appropriate time to pass the baton on."

Bob Beeston, chairman of Cookson, said, "The Board is very grateful for Stephen Howard's contribution to, and leadership of, the company over many years. After three years of very difficult trading conditions, Cookson is now firmly on the recovery path, is in a sound financial position and is therefore very well positioned to prosper under his successor."

An announcement concerning a successor will be made at the appropriate time.

www.cookson.co.uk

At Nepcon Shanghai 2004, Cor Scholten, Assembléon's (Eindhoven, The

Netherlands) chief executive officer, confirmed that Asia, and in particular, China, is a key element of the company's long-term global business strategy.

In 2003, sales in Asia grew to 40% of the company's total sales, up from just over 30% in 2002, with China representing 30% of this growth. As a direct result of the company's aggressive drive to increase market share in this market, Assembléon expects China to represent 70% of total Asia sales in 2004.

"We recognized China as a growing force in the global market several years ago and moved quickly to position ourselves to serve not only the large multinational original design manufacturers (ODMs) and electronics manufacturing service (EMS) companies that were moving their operations into China, but also the large number of local Chinese enterprises that were becoming increasingly sophisticated and challenging the foreign-owned multinationals," said Scholten.

"Unlike many other vendors, Assembléon does not view China simply as a location for low-cost manufacturing," Scholten continued. "Instead, we firmly believe that China is one of the key market and technology drivers in the world. No longer is China just looking at its export markets, but domestic sales are booming and helping to drive new technology around the world. Also, many of the domestic brands, such as Bird, Eastcom, and TCL, are outselling multinational brands by swiftly incorporating new functionality as soon as it becomes available."

In addition to its distribution policy, Assembléon has continued its own direct commitment to China, and expects to more than quadruple its staff headcount by the end of 2004. The additional staff will be deployed in the new locations around the country and in a new training and demonstration center expected to open in Shanghai before the end of the year.

Assembléon's drive to increase market share and sales in 2004 is focused upon a number of industry segments: consumer electronics—including PC motherboards, mobile phones, LCD monitors and DVD/EVD players; telecommunications equipment, including PBXs and trunking systems; and the automotive electronics and GPS segments.

www.assembleon.com

Valor Computerized Systems (Yavne, Israel), a software solutions provider to the electronics industry, has reported an improvement in its revenue for the first quarter of 2004.

Business in the global electronics industry is picking up, which is positively impacting the company's overall business. Revenues in the first quarter increased by 16.4% to $7.15 million, up from $6.14 million in Q1 2003.

During the quarter, Valor experienced a steep increase in research and development investments, due to the purchase of 50% of Danish company TraceXpert and the development of new products. R&D expenses rose 60% from the same quarter last year to $2.66 million. The company's headcount increased to 199, a raise of 16% mainly attributed to the increase in the R&D force.

Selling and marketing expenses were the same as the previous quarter at $3.34 million, up 9.6% from the previous year. +Product sales generated $4.6 million, up 20% year-on-year.

Due to the investments in new products, the net profit for Q1 was $295,000, down from $623,000 in Q1 2003. However, positive cash flow from operating activities reached $1.25 million.

www.valor.com