TORONTO -- Celestica Inc. was named 2005 EMS (electronics manufacturing services) Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan consulting company. The award recognizes Celestica's success in its market diversification strategy; year-over-year revenue growth; technology leadership; and strategic global footprint.

"By working closely with its customers, Celestica has been successful in anticipating their needs and providing them with cost-effective and innovative services that deliver competitive advantage," said Vikram Shanbhag, a senior research analyst at F&S. "Celestica has also successfully diversified its end markets and implemented operational improvement initiatives that have improved revenue growth. This makes Celestica a deserving recipient of the 2005 EMS Company of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan."
 
According to a press release, Celestica was chosen based on the following achievements:
 
* Strong y-o-y revenue growth: For fiscal 2004, revenue increased 31% over 2003.
 
* Technology leadership: Celestica offers a suite of Green Services to help OEMs comply with emerging environmental legislation, including RoHS and WEEE.
 
* Strategic global footprint: Celestica is rebalancing its global footprint.
 
* Diversifying end-market strategy: Celestica expanded into the aerospace and defense, automotive and industrial markets, boasting 152% growth over 2003.  The acquisition of Manufacturers Services Ltd (MSL), which closed in 2004, enhanced this progress.

Rome, NY -- The ESD Association's annual symposium on electrical overstress (EOS) and electrostatic discharge (ESD) will be held in Anaheim, CA, from Sept. 11-16. The EOS/ESD Symposium is a week of tutorials, technical sessions, workshops and exhibits.

Over 20 tutorials present a range of topics, including: ESD basics for program managers, ESD on-chip protection in advanced and RF technologies, air ionization, EOS/ESD failure models and mechanisms, in-plant ESD survey and evaluation measurements, and CDM design and characterization. A S20.20 seminar on developing and implementing an ESD control program is also offered.  Many tutorials earn credit for professional certification programs: ESD Certified Professional-Device/Design and ESD Certified Professional-Program Manager.

This year's workshops include topics such as ESD control and design for extremely sensitive devices; automated equipment, ESD and grounding issues; ESD auditing; and silicon technology scaling and ESD reliability.

A featured speaker Kenneth E. Goodson, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, will present "Advanced Thermal Modeling of Transistors" on Sept. 13.

Exhibits are open to the public and do not require symposium registration. 

The ESD Association offers discounts for association members, students and early registration (deadline is July 29). For more info: www.esda.org/symposia.html.

DES PLAINES, IL —Kester will host a lead-free seminar titled, "Project 2005: Achieving Lead-free RoHS Assembly" on June 16 in Minneapolis, MN.  

The seminar will address key lead-free assembly issues and give you technical, practical information to transition in a timely fashion so your company can maintain reliability and production yields.

This seminar will also tackle the needs expressed by companies as they transition to both lead-free assembly and implementation of the RoHS directive. It addresses the new standards that will assist a company towards a smooth transition.

Eight hours of presentation, ideas and discussion will cover the following topics: lead-free and RoHS directive overview; supply changes and procurement issues; board/component requirements; lead-free alloy selection for SMT, wave and rework; lead-free wave and SMT process optimization; impact of dual systems; BGA rework practices; hand soldering process changes; lead-free RoHS reliability; field rework and training; and training and documentation.

Attendees will receive a lead-free assembly technical manual, white papers and a subscription to the Lead-Free Connection Newsletter.

For information on the technical content of seminar, contact Peter Biocca at (972) 390-1197 or pbiocca@kester.com; for registration details, visit www.kester.com. 

ATLANTA — PBR Seminars today announced the premier broadcast of Smart Selling - The Tune-up Every Sales Department Needs, a two-hour Webinar on improving the selling process.

The webinar takes place June 23 at 1 pm Eastern.

Smart Selling focuses on the entire selling process, with an emphasis on effectively building a sales force capable of identifying, securing and supporting the right business in even the most difficult and challenging market conditions. Presented by electronics industry sales veterans Dale Baird, vice president of sales, Lenthor Engineering, and Dan Beaulieu, co-founder, D.B. Management Group, the webinar provides a framework for identifying and getting the right customer.

In a press release, Barry Matties of PBR Seminars said, "Knowing the critical truths about your business, products, prospects and core competencies are vital components in ‘smart selling.' This Webinar can help the beginning salesperson to the most seasoned professional evaluate their total selling strategy and then choose and implement the right selling tools. In today's market, success is not just about making sales, it's about making the right sales."

Registration for the two-hour event, which will include a Q&A session, is $99 and is available online at pbrseminars.com.

PBR Seminars, a joint venture between UP Media Group and PCB007, produces live and on-demand technical Webinars for the PCB industry.