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DUSSELDORF, GERMANY – LogiChem, the chemical industry's annual supply chain management conference, will take place Mar. 31 – Apr. 3 at the Hilton Dusseldorf.

The conference, now in its eighth year, addresses the current shortage of transport and storage capacity, demand planning, collaboration, growing markets such as Russia, and presents shipper case studies.

To register, visit www.logichemeurope.com.

NEW YORK – Dover Corp. announced third-quarter earnings from continuing operations of $190.3 million, up 5% year-over-year, in $2 billion in revenues.

LEUVEN, BELGIUM – National Association of Manufacturers president John Engler today called for in-depth study of a “Transatlantic Free Trade Area” between either the European Union and the US, or the EU and the North American Free Trade Agreement nations.

SAN JOSE – The top 10 EMS firms showed collective first-half growth of 4.3%, down from 20% last year, and the forecast, if not dire, is dimmer than before.

In a 2008 wrap-up about the economic status of the electronics industry, iSuppli Corp. today said EMS/ODM firms have been hit hard by macroeconomic concerns and drops in demand. The environment has led the firm to lower its growth outlook for the sector to 8.2% CAGR.

The subprime mortage resets peak during the second quarter, coupled with problems at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, loom large over economy, iSuppli noted. Said Adam Pick, principal analyst, EMS/ODM services, “In a recession, the Dow drops 48 to 49%, so it could still get worse.”

There’s no question the broader economic situation is being felt at the EMS/ODM level. ODM shipments are dropping tremendously this year. The No. 1 company, Compal Communications, a supplier to Motorola, Nokia and LG, has seen shipments drop 33.3% from last year. No. 2 Quanta dropped 7.5%, while Qisda is down a whopping 50%. TPV dipped 14.3%, and Asus is down 6.1%.

“ODMs are definitely getting hit,” Pick said. “Revenues are down; shipments are down; forecasts are down.”

The big question now is, Of the EMS companies and ODMs, who’s going to survive? And are there any likely bankruptcies? According to a new report by iSuppli, most firms are okay. However, without naming names, Pick suggested some firms could be in trouble during a recession. The iSuppli report, “Recession Hits EMS/ODMs,” is due out Nov. 7.

On the flip side, some CEOs are saying a recession is good for contract manufacturers because OEMs are rethinking their strategies, and Flextronics is positioned to be a prime beneficiary of a new wave outsourcing.

“Is the rubber-band effect fact or fiction?” asked Pick. “The rubber-band effect was material during the last recession. But today is not 2001.”

Jeffrey Wu, senior analyst, EMS/ODM services, pointed to the recent postponement of a major joint EMS/ODM investment. That deal, between Foxconn and HP in St. Petersburg, Russia, would have invested $50 million in a new 32,000 sq. meter site capable of producing 40,000 PCs per month. The opening was scheduled for early 2009, and its postponement shows even the largest EMS provider is now “feeling the hurt.”

“Weaker demand is having impact on OEMs and EMS providers alike,” Pick said.

iSuppli predicts one of two scenarios: Electronics will grow, but at a slower rate, or the market contracts. The latter, Pick said, “is what we fear the most.”

For OEMs, he advised, it’s time to reduce outsource production and prepare for EMS/ODM consolidation. OEMs also need to ask how they can best reduce capacity. “This is reminiscent of post 2001,” he said.

For EMS firms, he mentioned the seasonality of the first half of the year as a problem. “It’s time for EMS to back off.” While margins are actually stabilizing and restructurings are slowing, according to Pick, “consolidation is a definite need to know.”

“The Foxconn effect is pretty much over,” he added. Its revenues at the beginning of the decade were $3 billion and grew to $50 billion last year, but “Foxconn has hit some hiccups. Their stock was down 63% in the last 18 months.”

The biggest hiccup, however, has been Benchmark, whose sales are down 10% sequentially. Sanmina’s sales have beat expectations, and Celestica is seeing a turnaround in Europe and Mexico, while its “ROI continues to go up and up,” said Pick.

For ODMs, the global trend toward mobile computing has been good for growth. The top 10 firms were up 21.3% last quarter, said Pick. Inventec, for instance, has seen a 28% spike in revenue on higher HP and Toshiba orders. Nevertheless, Quanta has had issues with R&D, labor and material, while Compal has struggled with contraction.

SEOUL -- LG Electronics will invest $168 million to convert a plasma display production line to two solar cell lines, the company said today.

The company earmarked a PDP line in its Gumi, Korea, facilities for the switch, which will begin next month and is slated for completion by 2010.

TORONTO -- Adeptron Technologies has reported its second large outsourcing deal in two weeks, this one to supply electronics manufacturing services worth more than $4 million per year to an undisclosed Canadian OEM.

Full turnkey product support and manufacturing services are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter, Adeptron said.

KAUNAS, LITHUANIA -- UAB Kitron, a subsidiary of Kitron ASA, has received new orders worth $13.4 million for a marine related product, with deliveries scheduled to take place in the first-half 2009.

"We are pleased to see that deliveries to these projects in 2009 are expected to be substantially greater than in 2008,” said Mindaugas Sestokas, managing director of UAB Kitron, in a press release.

Kitron, a large Norwegian EMS firm, currently has more than 350 employees at the site. Worldwide, the company has more than 1,300 employees and revenues over $250 million.

NAMPA, ID -- MPC Computers on Oct. 16 cut about 22% of its workforce from its Nampa and North Sioux City, SD, facilities, the company said.

About 39% (78 positions) of the reductions layoffs came in Nampa and 49% (98) in North Sioux City, with the rest related to field sales and other locations. In all, the company laid off 200 workers, bringing its workforce at the two sites to 693.

TAIPEI -- Asustek Computer is forecasting a 77% jump in notebook production next year on higher demand for low-cost laptops.

The company hopes to ship some 20 million units next year. If so, it would make Asustek one of the world's four largest laptop makers, behind Dell, HP and Acer.

NEW YORK – The low valuations of several big-name EMS firms suggests impending restructuring, an industry analyst said yesterday.

Celestica, Sanmina-SCI and Benchmark are all below historical norms and tangible book value, noted Sherri Scribner of Deutsche Bank Equity Research in a research note. This means Wall Street expects those companies will reduce overhead in the coming months.

“[T]rading below tangible book value suggests to us that the market expects some form of restructuring at these companies,” Scribner wrote. Sanmina-SCI and Celestica are trading below their cash values, she added.

While Sanmina-SCI’s profitability has increased measurably over the past year, the company is saddled with a 55% debt-to-capital ratio and high interest rates. The company carries $1.48 billion in debt, though none of it is due before June 2010, against $1.482 billion in cash and credit lines.

As of June, Celestica had $759 million in debt and $1.2 billion in cash and short-term investments.

Benchmark had $12 million in debt due in December 2012, and $289 million in cash and short-term investments, plus a credit line of $100 million.

Plexus had a $150 million loan due in 2013. It is the only significant debt the company carries. Plexus has more than $200 million cash on hand.

Flextronics actually carried more debt – $3.79 billion – than its competitors, but just $200 million is due before 2012, and the world’s second-largest EMS company had $1.77 billion in cash and short-term investments and more than $2 billion in credit lines available.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – EMS and ODM firms will continue to grow, albeit at a slower rate, during the current recession, says research firm iSuppli.

In fact, the firm believes, a recessionary environment may offer opportunities, pointing to the 2001-2003 recession, when a “rubber band effect” stimulated significant revenue growth for EMS/ODM firms emerging from the downturn. Top ODMs increased their annual sales from $12 billion to $37 billion during 2001-2004, while EMS providers had a CAGR of 11% during the period.

This same effect may apply this time around, as OEMs refocus resources on core competencies, investigate ways to minimize costs and shore up their balance sheets, says Adam Pick, principal analyst for EMS/ODM at iSuppli.

He and senior analyst for EMS/ODM services Jeffrey Wu will discuss how the deteriorating macroeconomic situation is impacting contract manufacturers in an Oct. 22 Webinar at 11:30 am EST.

For more information and registration, visit https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/676924336.

ARLINGTON, VA – Nearly 70% of electronics companies surveyed for a just-released Consumer Electronics Association study are actively recycling their products.

The trade group today announced the results of its first industry-wide consumer electronics environmental sustainability report. The report, Environmental Sustainability and Innovation in the Consumer Electronics Industry analyzes the progress of 64 companies toward greater environmental sustainability. The study assesses industry progress in adopting sustainable policies, practices and programs and highlights specific environmental accomplishments by leaders in the consumer electronics industry. It was conducted by research firm Technology Forecasters Inc.

“This study demonstrates the industry’s commitment to environmental sustainability through eco-design, energy efficiency, green manufacturing and electronics recycling,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA, in a press relesase. “We are proud of our accomplishments thus far, but there is still work to be done. We look forward to the day the consumer electronics industry fully achieves our collective environmental sustainability goals.”

Highlights of the study include:

Decreased electricity use: Among companies that reported reduced electricity consumption, electricity usage declined by as much as 25% during the past three to four years.
Relative greenhouse gas reduction: Among the major CE companies that reported greenhouse gas emissions from 2004-2007, seven of the 10 have achieved a reduction per $1 million in revenue.
Strong recycling commitment: Among 64 electronics companies surveyed, 69% report they are actively recycling electronic products and components, and 38% report reuse of the electronics products they make or use. Together, these actions have helped to recycle nearly 800,000 tons of electronic waste.
Improved energy efficiency: Continuous improvement across the industry in nearly every product. The widespread shift from CRT to LCD monitors that occurred earlier this decade reduced average energy use per monitor by about 30%.

This report covers the sustainable practices chain from the internal processes of the CE companies to manufactured end products. The report observes how improved designs have enabled the production of products that require less packaging, contain fewer harmful chemicals and allow for increased usability, recycling, and energy conservation. The report also examines companies’ adoption of lean manufacturing processes, the greening of manufacturing facilities, and improved supply chain practices. Through improved efficiencies and significant resource conservation, these practices have played an integral role in limiting waste. Researchers also noted successful community and environmental outreach programs initiated and maintained by CE companies, another critical piece of the sustainability puzzle.

“We’re confident that the industry that brought us such vital technologies as computers and mobile phones can also have a positive impact on the environment,” said Parker Brugge, CEA’s vice president of environmental affairs and industry sustainability. “CEA is committed to providing the resources to support industry efforts toward environmental sustainability.”

The full report is available at www.CE.org/green.