SAN JOSE – North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.3 billion in orders in February on a three-month average basis and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.01 according to SEMI.

A book-to-bill of 1.01 means that $101 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

Bookings were almost 6% higher than revised January levels and almost 27% higher year-over-year.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in February 2006 was $1.29 billion.

Billings grew 2% over revised January levels but fell 3% versus February 2005.

"Increasing booking and billing levels over the past quarter are indicative of healthy growth, as companies are investing more dollars in technology and capacity," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO. "The book-to-bill has hit parity for the first time since August 2004, so we are optimistic about growth in the equipment market for 2006."

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

SAN FRANCISCO – Fabrinet, a leading EMS provider, has received TL 9000QMS certification for manufacturing of electronic assemblies and optical devices.

Fabrinet gained certification for its campuses near Bangkok, where Fabrinet has over 500,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space and over 4500 employees.

“Receiving TL9000 certification represents a culmination of our efforts to make Fabrinet a world-class manufacturing outsourcing destination for companies throughout the telecommunications spectrum, from component vendors to system vendors,” said Tom Mitchell, chairman and CEO of Fabrinet.

“Being TL 9000 certified means that Fabrinet can now meet the quality requirements of the worldwide telecommunications industry.”

TL 9000 defines quality system requirements for design, development, production, delivery, installation, and maintenance of telecom products and services.

MANKATO, MN -- EMS provider Winland Electronics Inc. has signed a new three-year agreement with Select Comfort Corp.

Winland will manufacture about half of the electronics assemblies for Select Comfort's Sleep Number adjustable-firmness bed. Winland will also remain the exclusive supplier of all products it manufactures for Plymouth-based Select Comfort through at least June 30.

The new agreement replaces a previous agreement that was set to expire in August. Winland has revised its prices and will see a lower margin as a result.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Jabil Circuit Inc. on Wednesday reported a 50% jump in profit for its fiscal second quarter.

For quarter ended Feb. 28, the EMS provider reported profits of $69 million on a 35% spike in revenue, to $2.3 billion. 

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