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NEENAH, WI -- Plexus Corp. reported first-quarter revenue of $456 million, at the low end of company guidance and flat with last year. Revenues declined 4% sequentially. Net income for the quarter ended Jan. 3 was $17 million, down 59%.

ARDEN HILLS, MN – Celestica Inc. will shutter its electronics manufacturing plant later this year, a move that will cost 590 workers their jobs.

The cuts will begin in April and continue through November, affecting 440 employees and 150 contract workers.

EL PASO, TX – Susan Mucha of Powell-Mucha Consulting Inc. will present on ways EMS companies can find and grow accounts in today’s volatile economy, as part an upcoming IPC-sponsored curriculum aimed at EMS program managers and executives.

The tutorial will be held April 2, as part of the IPC EMS Program Management Training & Certification program during the Apex trade show.

Topics to be covered include assessing business models and developing a value proposition suitable for a target market; stretching marketing dollars while increasing industry visibility; shortening the sales cycle through more effective use of sales and marketing resources; integrating the program team into the selling process; developing the most competitive value proposition through better understanding of the selection team, and developing long-term business growth plans.

This tutorial pulls from principles outlined in Mucha’s book, Find It, Book It, Grow It. – A Robust Guide to Account Acquisition in Electronics Manufacturing Services.

For more information, visit http://www.ipcapexexpo.org/html/main/programs-for-executives.htm.

HANAU, GERMANY – Heraeus has acquired BASF Catalysts’ thick films and ceramic colors business in East Newark, NJ.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

BASF's materials are used in electronics and decorative applications.

Heraeus is one of the world’s largest materials suppliers, with product revenues of €3 billion.

MUNICH – Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems became operational Jan. 1 as a legally separate company within the Siemens technology conglomerate.

This step signaled the end of the so-called “carve-out process,” begun in 2008, the firm reports. The new company handles the Siplace placement machines and related assembly equipment lines.

In addition, the company’s restructuring program is entering a second phase. Plans call for further streamlining of the company’s global processes, and consolidation of its development and manufacturing capacities. The firm did not provide further details.

TOKYO -- Panasonic Corp. will cut 560 jobs and close two plants in Asia, the company said today.

The sites set for closure are in Malaysia and the Philippines. About 500 workers will be laid off in Malaysia, and 60 more in the Philippines.

PEMBROKE, BERMUDA -- Tyco Electronics reported first-quarter sales dropped 21% from a year ago, and the GAAP operating loss swung to a loss on lower demand and poorer margins.

EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS -- Royal Philips Electronics swung to a fourth-quarter loss of $1.9 billion and sales fell 9% to $10.1 billion in the quarter.

RICHARDSON, TX – Elcoteq will lay off 96 workers including all its employees in engineering services here, according to reports.

The layoffs will take place between late March 24 and early April 7.

SAN JOSE – The MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council has finalized the program for its first-quarter symposium, Semiconductor Packaging – Impacting the Age of Consumer Electronics.

The event will be held Feb. 19 in San Jose.

Ronald Steger, partner-in-charge of global semiconductor practice, KPMG, will keynote the symposium, discussing the consumer electronics boom – how semiconductor and consumer electronics companies can improve cost, time-to-market and product quality.

Other presentation topics include time-to-market and consumer semiconductor packaging; signal integrity: getting it right the first time; modeling package thermal behavior in advanced process technologies; time-to-market is everything; cost-of-ownership challenges for consumer products; a fabless semiconductor's point of view: IC package technology development and the total cost of ownership; an OSAT provider's point of view for consumer applications: IC package development and total cost of ownership challenges; solutions for consumer product miniaturization; STATSChipPAC – evolution of package on package; selecting the right packaging technology: finding the optimum balance between device and system level considerations in consumer applications; trends in low profile packaging; advancing technologies for consumer electronics; new tornado: adoption of MEMS processes by IC industry; microbatteries for integrated autonomous microdevices; the future of MEMS chem-bio sensors, and mobile projection displays based on biaxial scanning MEMS mirrors.

NEW YORK – Dover reported fourth-quarter revenue of $1.7 billion, down 8% from last year, and net earnings from continuing operations of $170 million, down 3%.