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LAKE FOREST, CA – Probe Manufacturing’s board has cut ties with chief executive Reza Zarif and named Barrett Evans interim CEO.

Zarif, who was on a month-to-month employment agreement, remains on the company’s board.

The company reported 2007 revenues fell 26% to $6.9 million, although the net profit was up 148% to $374,896.

Evans will receive a base salary of $175,000.

MALVERN, PA – Vishay Intertechnology has acquired a specialty capacitor (wet tantalum) product line from Kemet Corp. for $35.2 million and other consideration in the form of a three-year term loan of $15 million.

Sales of these products during Kemet’s fiscal-year ended March 31 were approximately $16 million, of which approximately $7 million represent former Arcotronics products (acquired last year by Kemet ) sold mostly outside of the US.

Worldwide sales during the quarter ended June 30, 2008 were $4.4 million.

Closing is scheduled to occur by the end of business today.

SAN FRANCISCO – Major IT OEMs gave cautious outlooks on the macro environment and overall IT spending at an analyst-sponsored conference last week.

SMYRNA, GA – Circuits Assembly will accept entries for its 2009 New Product Introduction Award for electronics assembly equipment, materials and software suppliers beginning Nov. 3.

RENTON, WA – Microscan will purchase Siemens' machine vision business for an unspecified amount. The deal is expected to close Sept. 19. Microscan said it would maintain the Nashua, NH, site of the Siemens' business, formerly Acuity CiMatrix, and retain the majority of the workforce.

CARLSBAD, CA – Asymtek has expanded its facility in Singapore to include a modern lab with a full range of dispensing and coating equipment.

The company is colocated in the facility with parent Nordson and fellow subsidiary EFD. Asymtek offers equipment service, product demonstrations and the latest technical data on dispensing at the site.

WASHINGTON, DC – Two top electronics trade groups are talking merger in what would become the nation's largest tech trade group, boasting more than 2,600 member companies and annual revenues of more than $26 million.

The AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association) and the Information Technology Association of America announced discussions to merge the trade associations' memberships and programs.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – After a minor battle broke out over its secret deals with the local city council, Jabil Circuit appears to be in line for a host of incentives to remain here. The EMS company will keep its headquarters here and expand into a proposed facility, according to reports in local papers today.

PORTSMOUTH, ENGLAND – Of a global industrial and medical electronics market valued at around $525 billion in 2007, US OEMS accounted for half the total, says Semicast.

Of those OEMs supplying electronic products to the industrial and medical sector in 2007, the top three suppliers – Caterpillar, Deere & Co and United Technologies – are all US-owned companies, with Applied Materials, GE and Medtronic also appearing in the top 10.

With six of the 10 largest OEMs supplying industrial and medical electronics, US dominance looks unlikely to weaken any time soon, says Semicast.

While many often think of Europe and Japan as powerhouses in the industrial and medical electronics sector, European and Japanese OEMs account for less than 30% and 20% of the total market respectively. Siemens is ranked as the largest European OEM in the analysis, while Komatsu emerges as the leading Japanese supplier, according to the firm.

Korean manufacturers take fourth place, led by suppliers such as Hyundai and Doosan Infracore. However, with a share of less than 2% of the global market, it will take a seismic shift for the Koreans to take on the established order.

As a country that has dominated headlines for much of the last decade, the impact so far of Chinese OEMs on the world industrial and medical electronics market has been somewhat limited, with companies like Goldwind and Sinovel still having relatively low brand recognition, says Semicast. However, Chinese OEMs have gained a foothold in some specific markets; for example, Hangcha and Hangzhou Forklift are both becoming established as suppliers of forklift trucks and materials handling, while Holley and Londian Electrics continue to develop a presence in electronic utility metering.

Overall, Chinese OEMs are estimated to have supplied less than 1% of the world industrial and medical electronics market in 2007, reinforcing the conclusion that they have a long way to go before emerging as a major force on the world stage. However, Colin Barnden, Semicast’s principal analyst, urged a word of caution: “One need only consider the dramatic impact Huawei Technologies has had on the telecommunications market to realize that it would be a mistake to underestimate the Chinese over the long term.”

SAN FRANCISCO – Most EMS companies are seeing normal to tepid demand, and the economy remains the top concern, a leading industry analyst said this week.

CERRITOS, CA – Corelis Inc., a supplier of boundary-scan and JTAG functional emulation test tools, today announced a 30% expansion of its facility.

The larger plant will house Corelis’ expanded quality program, DfT support group and a section specifically organized to participate in industry standards.

"The push behind our expansion is an increase in customer demand, as well as the need to expand our research and development departments,” said George La Fever, president and CEO of Corelis. "With the new space, we will be able to serve the needs of our current clients, plus have additional capacity available to support prospective clients. Furthermore, we will have the room to expand our headquarters training facility."

SAN JOSE – Worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings reached $7.83 billion in the second quarter, down 26% sequentially and 29% year-over-year, SEMI reported.