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EL SEGUNDO, CA – How will the TV market deal with the economic downturn and slowdown in sales growth in 2009?

iSuppli Corp. principal analyst Riddhi Patel on Wednesday takes on that question in a webinar, Will 2009 be the Year of Doom for TV Makers? The webinar takes place Feb. 25 at 11:30 AM EST.

Patel will shed light on how the television market will develop in 2009, what the key concerns are for the industry, and what strategies companies should employ to fuel demand.

The economic crisis is impacting the television market, both in terms of sales in developed regions and in exports from emerging nations.

Regions like Southeast Asia, China and parts of Latin America have seen a considerable impact on their television exports. Pair this with weakening consumer spending worldwide and it adds up to trouble for the entire television supply chain.

Other topics Patel will address: Which display technologies will survive the downturn? How will regional markets fare? Will price declines be sufficient to spur demand? Which strategies and brands will succeed?

For more information, visit http://www.isuppli.com/Events.aspx.

SAN JOSE – North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $285.6 million in orders in January, down 75% from a year ago, the SEMI trade group said. The book-to-bill was 0.48, well under the 1.0 benchmark indicating near-term growth.

WESTLAKE, OH -- Nordson Corp., parent company to EFD, Asymtek and other top electronics OEM suppliers, reported first-quarter sales fell 24% from a year ago to $187 million. For the quarter ended Jan. 31, net income was down 48% to $11 million.

EL SEGUNDO, CA — Vizio Inc. in the fourth quarter surpassed Sony to become the US’s second-largest flat-panel television brand, according to iSuppli Corp.

Vizio accounted for 14.3% of flat panel TV (LCD and plasma) unit shipments in the US in the fourth quarter, up 3.11 points from the third quarter. Sony and Samsung Electronics declined 0.42 points and 0.62 points, respectively, during the same period. Sony’s share declined to 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Samsung was number one, with a 20.2% share.

No. 4 Panasonic saw shipments rising 3.12 points to a 10.7% share. LG was fifth at 10.6%.

“Brands are finding it hard to survive in the current economic climate amid tough price competition,” iSuppli said, noting a shakeout among suppliers. “Olevia LCD-TVs are no longer available since the company filed for bankruptcy in 2008. Pioneer has announced its exit from the television market. During 2009, a few value brands will disappear from the market. The brands that survive will be the ones that either own or have very close ties with the LCD and plasma panel makers, allowing them to keep their costs."

BILLERICA, MA -- Jabil Circuit will close its plant in Billerica by August, with most operations ending in May, the company told employees yesterday. About 350 employees will be laid off.

ALPHARETTA, GA -- AssemblÃ©on next week will launch its MC (Modular Compact) Platform for high-quality, high-mix production during the Virtual PCB online trade show.

It is the first time an electronics equipment OEM is using this online event for a major product launch.

HONG KONG -- Foxconn International Holdings, part of Hon Hai, will lay off an unspecified number of employees and close certain plants, the company said today.

Plans to open a plant in Vietnam may be put on hold until the economy improves, the company also said, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

Foxconn, the world's largest EMS/ODM per the Circuits Assembly EMS Top 50, has undergone some layoffs and consolidated certain production facilities, Foxconn spokesman Vincent Tong told the Wall Street Journal, declining to provider further details.

RAPID CITY, SD -- Sanmina-SCI, fresh off the announced acquisition of a JDS Uniphase plant in China, will shut its site here and lay off 275 workers, the Rapid City Journal is reporting today, citing a company spokesperson.

The factory once employed 1,700, according to local news reports.

ERLANGER, KY – Seho, a manufacturer of soldering equipment, has relocated to Erlanger, KY.

The facility houses a demonstration facility, spare parts and inventoried machines.

ANAHEIM, CA – The electronics segment of the Electronics West show held at the Anaheim Convention Center earlier this month was small, covering perhaps three or four rows, only half applicable to electronics manufacturing. But overall, the show seemed really busy.

SINGAPORE – Venture Corp., a top 10 EMS company, reported net fourth-quarter profits of S$4.6 million, bogged down by non-operational charges, on sales of S$906.9 million.

TOKYO -- Top Japanese electronics OEMs may soon find themselves in the midst of contentious disputes over pay to union workers, several published reports say.

The major unions presented a monthly pay hike offer of 4,500 yen to management representatives today as part of Japan's annual spring labor-management wage negotiations.

Corporate responses are due March 18, and it's not at all clear the unions will like them. Management at NEC, Hitachi Panasonic and others are seeking pay cuts, with Hitachi's top personnel affairs officer saying "talks on whether annual pay hikes should continue are necessary."

NEC is proposing cuts in overtime pay and Toshiba plans to propose a temporary wage reductions as well, reports said.