FRAMINGHAM, MA – The fourth quarter saw global shipments of PCs grow 26.1% year-over-year to 91.6 million units, according to International Data Corp. With the pandemic still in full swing, traditional PCs (inclusive of desktops, notebooks, and workstations) were once again an in-demand consumer technology.

Williamsport, PA – Acquisitions continue unabated in the EMS industry, with Primus Technologies the latest firm to be snatched up, according to CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY sources. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed.

JOHOR BAHRU, MALAYSIA – EMS company ATA IMS temporarily shut down operations of all its factories here because of Covid-19 cases. The shutdown was in effect from Dec. 31 through Jan 7. Operations will resume Jan 8.

WESTWOOD, MA – Chase Corp. reported fiscal first quarter revenue in the adhesives, sealants and additives segment was $30.1 million, up 16.5% year-over-year.

SAN JOSE – EMS firm Naprotek has been purchased by Edgewater Capital Partners for an undisclosed sum.

SAN JOSE, CA -- Sanmina announced that Hari Pillai has rejoined the company as president of Components Technology, the company's printed circuit board and mechanical systems business unit.

TAIPEI – Global smartphone sales will gradually recover in 2021 and will likely see a relatively strong wave of device replacement demand, as well as demand growth in the emerging markets, new market research says. Assuming these conditions materialize, says TrendForce, the report author, the annual global smartphone production for 2021 is forecasted to increase 9% to 1.36 billion units.

TAIPEI – Coming off a record year, global notebook shipments will grow another 8.6% year-over-year to 217 million units in 2021, TrendForce predicts. The increasing popularity of distance education has galvanized demand for Chromebooks, which contributed substantially to the growth of the overall market. Chromebooks accounted for 14.8% of global notebook shipments in 2020, a rate expected to rise to 18.5% in 2021.

MUNICH – Electronics manufacturer Katek acquired fellow EMS Leesys Group for an undisclosed sum.

TAIPEI – Foxconn reported consolidated revenue of NT$713.78 billion (US$25.5 billion) for December, up 32.3% year-over-year and 4.8% sequentially.

HAIPHONG, VIETNAM – Pegatron has purchased land here for some VND528.9 billion (US$22.9 million) to construct a new plant, according to reports.

WASHINGTON — Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $39.4 billion in November, an increase of 7% year-over-year and 1.1% sequentially, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.