MANKATO, MN -- Winland Electronics, an electronics manufacturing services firm, today reported record fourth-quarter sales of $7.6 million, up 15.1% from last year and 2.7% sequentially. Net income increased 61% to $671,171.

For the quarter ended Dec. 31, gross profit was $2 million, or 25.9% of sales, up 20.5% from a year ago. Total operating expenses rose 20.5% percent to $1.1 million. Operating income increased 20.5% to $875,616.

For the year, revenues were $29.1 million, up 20.3% over fiscal 2004. Net income rose 88% percent to $2 million. Gross profit was $7.2 million, or 24.8% of sales, up 30.1% from last year. Total operating expenses rose 12.3% to $4.1 million. Operating expenses as a percent of net revenues fell to 14% of sales, down 1 point, indicating increased operational efficiency and driving a 63.7% increase in operating income, from $1.9 million for fiscal 2004 to $3.2 million for fiscal 2005.

In a statement, Winland chief executive Lorin Krueger said, "During 2005, we increased our efforts to improve sales of our proprietary products into the security electronics industry. Proprietary products enhance our margins and contributed to our overall profitability.

The contract with the company's largest EMS customer, Select Comfort, will end in August, and Winland anticipates that sales to the company will fall after the second quarter. According to Krueger, Select Comfort plans to source half its product from Winland.

The company had $900,000 in cash at quarter's end and working capital of $6 million. The company spent $845 ,000 in capital expenditures during the fourth quarter, and almost $1.3 million during fiscal 2005.

TORONTO – Canada will again host a conference on lead-free soldering, but this year’s sessions will have an international focus. The conference, held May 16-18 at Wyndham Bristol Hotel in Toronto, is presented by the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), in conjunction with the Centre of Microelectronics Assembly and Packaging (CMAP).

 

The conference aims to enable Canadian electronics manufacturers in their continuing transition to lead-free products. However, paper presentations will come from Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, the U.S., and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.

 

The conference is co-sponsored by the SMTA, iNEMI and the Integrated Electronic Engineering Center at State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton.

For further info., please contact:
Registration and General Inquiry: Agnieszka Madej, (905) 823-2020 x 221; agnieszka.madej@oce-ontario.org
Technical Inquiries: Dr. Laura J. Turbini, (416) 946-7329; turbini@ecf.utoronto.ca
Exhibit Inquiries: Guida Williamson, (905) 823-2020 x253; gwilliamson@oce-ontario.org

FRAMINGHAM, MA -- Worldwide PC shipments are expected to grow 10.5% this year, boosted by sales to the Asia-Pacific region, said research firm IDC. Meanwhile, Gartner Group forecast a 10.7% rise in shipments.

Both firms estimate PC shipments grew more than 15% last year.

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Mike Buetow writes about IBM's new collaborative sales, services and marketing strategy at http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/.