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SEOUL -- Yet another attemped sale of Daewoo Electronics has fallen through, and the tight credit market may discourage other potential buyers from the company, which is valued at around $500 million. The breakdown may mean restructuring for the company.

TOKYO — TDK Corp. will lay off 8,000 workers and close four factories in response to a plunge in revenues.

Most of the laid off staff are full-time employees, although some contract workers will be cut as well.

TDK had 65,500 workers worldwide as of the end September quarter.

MIGDAL HA'EMEK, ISRAEL -- Flextronics' Israel subsidiary has laid off 200 employees here, according to published reports and confirmed by local management.

BANGALORE – Essemtec India has expanded its office here to offer total SMT solutions with full sales and service support.

The branch office service department will act as service hub for the Indian and Southeast Asian markets, according to Jay Kumar, managing director India.

“All service cases will be managed directly by the Indian service team, which is trained by the Swiss headquarters. Essemtec will be able to provide total application solutions plus operator and maintenance trainings,” he said.

The office was founded in 2007 as a liaison site to establish business in the region.

Essemtec India also will open a demo room in Bangalore during the first quarter of 2009. Additionally, the firm will use the facility for customer training and seminars.

HERNDON, VA – iNEMI sponsored two forums in late 2008, both of which outlined industry action to address current and future environmental challenges and, in response to this input, iNEMI has identified new collaborative efforts.

Proposals for four iNEMI projects emerged from discussions at the Sustainability Summit: noncompetitive lifecycle assessments for information and communication technology products based on a building block approach using assembly emulators; PVC replacement alternatives, using LCAs to compare PVC vs. PVC-free cables and technical evaluation of alternatives; establishing a market for post-consumer plastics as feedstock for green products (e.g., polycarbonate, ABS — acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), and establishing electronics applications for post-consumer blended plastics (e.g., housings for power supplies).

Two of these initiates are currently in development, says the consortium. Tom Okrasinski, Alcatel-Lucent, and Todd Myers, Cisco, will champion the Eco-Impact Evaluator for ICT Equipment Initiative (noncompetitive LCAs); and Scott O’Connell, Dell, is championing the PVC alternatives effort.

To become involved in either project, contact Jim Arnold, iNEMI consultant, at jim.arnold@rissastudios.com.

Other areas identified for industry action include working with an IPC standards committee to create a practical industry definition of “halogen-free”; creating an HFR- and PVC-free component and board test specification and metrology, and through traditional volume learning curves, achieving HFR- and PVC-free materials cost, delivery and quality parity.

MINNEAPOLIS -- CyberOptics today lowered its fourth-quarter revenue guidance 24 to 32%, citing the economy and delayed customer acceptance of a large order.

NAMPA, ID -- Plexus Inc. this week laid off 35 full-time employees and 100 part-time workers here, but reiterated its commitment to the Boise area assembly site. The cuts represent about 7% of the company's full-time staffing in Nampa.

KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian exports slumped 4.9% year-over-year in November on the market for electronics products fell nearly 11%.

Overall exports were $14.8 billion for the month, beating economists' estimates but still the lowest drop in seven years. Electrical and electronics products make up about 40% ($5.92 billion) of the nation's exports.

Singapore, Japan and the US are the biggest recipients of Malaysian-built products. Exports to the US dropped 17% year-over-year in November, and demand for locally manufactured products from companies such as Dell, Western Digital and Intel slowed. The US was once Malaysia's biggest trading partner but has slipped to third in the past two years.

Malaysia remains a bright spot in the world economy, with a large trade surplus and GDP forecasts calling for 2.8% growth in 2009.

EAST WINDSOR, CT – Blue Thunder Technologies Inc. reported 26% growth in 2008.

The privately held company, which manufactures wiping products and supplies consumable items used in cleanrooms, assembly lines, laboratories and manufacturing, has had double-digit growth since it was founded in 2001.

The firm says it is hiring and moving to new corporate headquarters that will quadruple its existing facility.

EAST WINDSOR, CT – High-Tech Conversions announced double-digit growth for 2008.

The privately held manufacturer of wiping products and supplier of consumable items used in cleanrooms, assembly lines, laboratories and manufacturing has seen double-digit growth each year since its 1995 founding.

High-Tech Conversions will be moving to a larger modern manufacturing facility in the first quarter of 2009, as well as ramping production in China, Mexico and Germany.

TAIPEI -- OEM/ODM Micro-Star International will refocus its notebook computer line on the hot netbook market and may spin off its Wind brand of low-cost "nettop" PCs.

NANTOU, TAIWAN – Universal Scientific Industrial Co. reported consolidated net EMS revenues of $21.8 million for the month ended Dec. 31, down 18% sequentially and 55% from the same period last year.

The company, a top 25 global EMS company, reported total sales of $490.4 million for its EMS segment in 2008. EMS makes up 18% of its total sales in Taiwanese dollars.