Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - News

Latest News

TOKYO – Seven of Japan's top electronics manufacturers will post losses for the fiscal year ending in March, says EE Times.

Hitachi Ltd., Panasonic Corp., Sony Corp., Toshiba Corp., Fujitsu Ltd., NEC Corp. and Sharp Corp. are expected to have combined net losses of $22.3 billion.

ISTANBUL – Essemtec Switzerland has signed a distribution contract for Turkey with Sinerji of Istanbul.

Sinerji provides a local show and training room for machine demonstration and evaluation, and countrywide sales, support and service.

The firm also will support installed Essemtec equipment, including automatic machines for SMD manufacturing.

Essemtec develops, fabricates, and distributes equipment for all processes of electronics manufacturing: printers, dispensers, pick-and-place and solder systems.

Sinerji has many years’ experience in SMT.

No financial terms were disclosed. The agreement is effective this past Jan. 1.

STAMFORD, CT – Western Europe’s personal computer sales were 20.1 million units in the fourth quarter of 2008, up 12% year-over-year, according to Gartner Inc.

"If it wasn't for mini-notebooks, the overall Western European market would be showing a decline. This does not bode well for 2009, as we expect the general economic conditions to worsen," said Ranjit Atwal, principal analyst at the research firm.

Hewlett-Packard and Acer, leaders in the area, boasted shares of 23.2% and 20.3%, respectively, with Dell holding 10.1% of the market, says Gartner.

ASUS and Toshiba held 7.4% and 6.4% market share, respectively.

PC shipments grew 17.2% in the region last year compared to 2007, reaching 66 million units.

MADISON, AL – STI Electronics Inc. will distribute the complete AIM line of electronic solders and chemicals throughout the Southeast.

No financial terms were disclosed.

STI offers a complementary product line and a variety of training services.

Headquartered in Montreal, AIM manufactures assembly materials, producing solder paste, liquid flux, cored wire, bar solder, adhesives, preforms, and specialty.

BOSTON – Registration for PCB East 2009 is now open. The conference will take place April 27 – May 1, with an exhibition on April 29, at the Westin Waltham in Boston.

The show, held annually since 1996, is sponsored by UP Media Group, the parent company of Circuits Assembly and Printed Circuit Design & Fab.

Visit http://www.pcbeast.com for information; register online with priority code #E09EA02 before the early-bird deadline of March 26, and save up to $100 on most registration packages.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Worldwide Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) sales are expected to soar to 56.3 million in 2013, a CAGR of 26.6%, from 17.3 million in 2008.

ST. LOUIS – LaBarge Inc. has received $3.4 million in follow-on orders from BAE Systems to manufacture ruggedized circuit card assemblies used in military applications.

The company has been producing the assemblies since 2006 and anticipates receiving additional orders.

The new orders will continue production at LaBarge's Tulsa, OK, facility through January 2010.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – December PWB shipments fell 14.5% year-over-year and bookings slid 21.1%.

LOS ALTOS, CA – Consumer electronics output will drop 6.4% in 2009 on a lack of compelling new products coupled with the dismal economic environment, says Henderson Ventures.

SAN JOSE, CA – Worldwide economic turmoil in 2008 severely impacted global semiconductor sales, resulting in the first year-on-year drop in sales since 2001, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported today.

Total sales for the year were $248.6 billion, down 2.8% compared to 2007.

BRUSSELS – A series of proposed revisions to ROHS and WEEE calls for a sea change in how mandatory take-back targets are set, and adds medical devices to its list of covered end-products.

The European Commission in December proposed adding two categories of equipment (http://ec.europa.eu/environment/waste/weee/pdf/com_2008_809.pdf), heretofore known as categories 8, medical devices, and 9, monitoring and control instruments.

The RoHS Directive mandates periodic EC reviews. The proposed changes are the result of stakeholder input gathered in 2007 and early 2008.

No new substances are proposed for elimination, however.

The proposed WEEE revisions would alter mandatory recycling targets to a sum equal to 65% of the average weight of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market over the two previous years in each Member State. The collection target is currently 4 kg per person per year, which fails to take into consideration the variance in electronics consumption from nation to nation, the EC said.

The recycling and recovery targets of such equipment now include the reuse of whole appliances, and weight-base targets will increase by 5%. It is also proposed to set targets for the recovery of medical devices. These items were omitted from the original directive because of concerns over the reliability of lead-free solders.

Any exemptions to Categories 8 and 9 will be subject to a four-year maximum validity period, while substitutes are researched and implemented.

The EU will also take up the matter of so-called “priority” substances considered to pose environmental concerns. These chemicals are covered under the REACH Directive, and the latest proposal looks at how RoHS can better tie in with the REACH methodology.

SPOKANE VALLEY, WA -- Key Tronic Corp. reported December quarter revenue of $47 million, down 7.5% year-over-year. Net income was $100,000, down 94% from a year ago.