BANNOCKBURN, IL — North American printed circuit board fabricators reported a 5.6% year-over-year drop in orders in November on typical seasonality.

MANASSAS, VA -- Starting in January, Zestron will sponsor a free, 10-part Webinar series on cleaning in 2012.

OSAKA, JAPAN — A new guide from Nihon Superior on “Reliability of Lead-Free Solder in Thermal Cycling” is the first in a series on lead-free solder selection.

WARRENDALE, PA -- SAE Aerospace has published new guidelines for prescreening components and conducting on-site assessments of potential suppliers.

HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS, UK — Smart Group will host a workshop on handling moisture-sensitive components and PCB handling next month.

BRUSSELS -- The International Trade Commission has launched an an investigation on behalf of Nanya to determine whether imports of certain DRAM devices are infringing patents.

TOKYO – The 90-day moving average orders at Japan-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers fell 30.6% year-over-year in November.

URBANA, IL -- It is known technically as a "rapid restorative mechanism." In layman's terms, it's a method for a broken electrical circuit to heal itself, without human intervention.

BRATISLAVA, SLOVAKIA – Universal Instruments appointed Koen Vinck general manager of European, Middle Eastern and African customer operations.

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL -- In the wake of the now-defunct Millennium Electronics, a new EMS provider has sprung up here in the north Chicago suburbs.

AYUDHAYA, THAILAND -- Benchmark Electronics has restarted operations here a week ahead of its planned schedule.

ARMONK, NY – IBM unveiled the sixth annual “IBM 5 in 5" – a list of innovations that have the potential to change the way people work, live and interact during the next five years, based on market and societal trends, as well as emerging technologies: