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EL SEGUNDO, CA – Research firm iSuppli Corp. has launched a supplier relationship management training center for electronics companies.

iSuppli is offering six courses for OEM procurement teams, covering everything from supplier relationship management and strategic supplier assessment to cross-cultural negotiation in low-cost geographies.

Courses are conducted at client facilities and are available immediately.

Dan Hawtof, a 20-year industry veteran, has been named to run the center.

“Through the Advanced Learning Center, we’re helping companies learn how to gather, interpret and apply knowledge in ways that have an immediate and positive impact on their performance,” said Hawtof, vice president, Performance Research Services.

TORONTO – EMS provider SMTC Corp. recorded a second-quarter net loss of $6.3 million after a $5.7 million restructuring charge. This compares to a net income of $100,000 for the same period last year. In the first quarter, SMTC reported net income of $400,000.

TAIPEI – EMS provider Foxconn Electronics reported July revenue of about $4.18 billion, up 34.9% year-over-year, and up 21.2% sequentially.

SAN JOSE – The global market for semiconductors was $25.52 billion in June, up 12.2% year-over-year, and up about 20.7% sequentially, according to World Semiconductor Trade Statistics.

Showing strongest growth geographically, Asia-Pacific reached $13.19 billion, up 17.6% compared to last year. Japan's market was $4.28 billion, up 3%; Europe's market was $3.99 billion, up 7.5%, and the Americas region was $4.06 billion, up 11.3% year-over-year, say published reports.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – The worldwide enterprise storage system semiconductor market will grow to $1.3 billion by 2012, a CAGR of 6%, says IDC.

The semiconductor demands of the storage system market are compelling OEMs to move quickly to grab as much of the market as they can, or face being shut out by enterprise customers, according to the research firm.

However, the storage systems market opportunity for semiconductors will fluctuate throughout the forecast period, as a result of pricing pressures coupled with technological changes. IDC believes the emergence of iSCSI and fibre channel-over-Ethernet products, as well as the growing need for SAS expanders/multiplexers and storage services processors, will be growth drivers.

To capture a significant share of the storage system semiconductor market, semiconductor vendors should carefully watch the market dynamics among the following technologies: 10GE/iSCSI from a SAN perspective, FcoE, and SAS, says IDC.

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY – In the second quarter, Henkel increased sales 11.4% to 3.67 billion euros. This rise is partially a result of the first-time consolidation of the newly acquired National Starch businesses, says the firm.

Restructuring charges of 256 million euros impacted operating profit. This corresponds to about one-third of restructuring charges previously announced for the full year, with the total expected to be about 770 to 780 million euros. The charges relate primarily to a global program for efficiency enhancement and the integration of the National Starch businesses.

Growth in the Adhesive Technologies business sector was 7.9%. Nominal sales rose 26.1% to 1.82 billion euros, due primarily to the acquisition of the Adhesives and Electronic Materials businesses of National Starch.

Operating profit increased 21.1% to 195 million euros for the quarter.

“We achieved highly encouraging second quarter organic sales growth, despite a difficult economic environment still characterized by significantly increasing raw material costs and a weak US dollar,” said Henkel CEO Kasper Rorsted. “Our organic growth was supported by all our business sectors. The improvements were primarily from our growth regions, while development in Western Europe was restrained. We were able to further increase adjusted operating profit.”

For full-year 2008, Henkel expects to achieve sales growth of 3% to 5%.

1 euro = US $1.50

TAIPEI – Component maker Delta Electronics Inc. reported July consolidated revenues totaled $430.3 million, up 21% year-over-year, and up 11% sequentially.

The firm’s consolidated revenues from January to July were $2.66 billion, up 19% compared to the same period last year.

The Components Business Group currently constitutes 16% of the company’s total revenues, says the firm.

TAIPEI – United Microelectronics Corp., the world's second-largest contract chipmaker, said its July sales of $273.12 million fell 15% year-over-year. Compared to June, sales were up about 5%.

The firm cites the global economic slowdown as the reason for it’s year-over-year drop in revenues.

SINGAPORE – Contract electronics firm Venture Corp. posted a 17% fall in quarterly earnings, as a result of a stronger Singapore dollar and the delay of customers’ orders, the firm reported.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Hon Hai plans to invest at least $3.26 billion in Taiwan, the firm reported.

BOONTON, NJ – Total worldwide sales revenue for telecommunication gateways and session border controllers is expected to increase at a compounded rate of nearly 13% during the next five years, says Insight Research.

This specialized equipment enables traditional phone networks to interconnect with next-generation network services that make extensive use of the Internet. During 2008, nearly $2 billion worth of gateway technology will be sold in global markets. By 2013, sales of new gateway gear will increase to $3.5 billion annually, says the firm.

While global gateway sales will increase to nearly 13% during the forecast period, hybrid-fiber coax gateways, SIP gateways, and session border controllers will buck trends and are expected to exhibit sales revenue growth rates in excess of 30%, says Insight.

"The next-generation network, which will make extensive use of IP and web services is still years away from generating serious revenue, and in the meantime carriers are not about to fork lift out the infrastructure that makes them money today," said Robert Rosenberg, Insight’s president.

"Gateways form the link between today's revenue-generating services and what the carriers will be building to generate their future revenue streams, so we expect the telecommunications gateway market to continue growing for at least the next five years," Rosenberg added.

JASPER, IN – EMS provider Kimball International Inc. reported net sales of $338.2 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008, flat with the same period last year.

Gross profit was $57.9 million, down 16.1% year-over-year. The firm reported a net loss from continuing operations of $9.8 million.