NEW DELHI – Broadband India Forum has approached the telecom department and the finance ministry in India seeking a reversal of a hike in import duties on components and PCBAs, saying the move will drive up the cost of making telecom products and may offset benefits of the production-linked incentive scheme.

STOCKHOLM – Note reported first quarter sales increased 6% year-over-year to SEK 502 million. Adjusted for currency effects, growth was 11%.

MUNICH – Katek, the second-largest German electronics manufacturing services provider, is preparing an initial public offering on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the second quarter of this year. The company expects proceeds of approximately €80 million, which will primarily be used for organic growth and acquisitions.

SAN DIEGO – The Electronics, Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), the international packaging conference, will again be virtual this year, running Jun. 1 through Jul. 4.

NARSAPURA, INDIA – Wistron has downgraded the roles of its head in India, as well as its operations head there, following violence at its Narsapura plant in December, according to an unnamed government source.

BRUSSELS – The electronics manufacturing industry accounted for €301 billion (US$360.4 billion) in production value in 2019 and directly impacted €3.8 trillion in European GDP, says IPC.

NEEDHAM, MA – Global shipments of traditional PCs, including desktops, notebooks, and workstations, grew 55.2% year-over-year to 84 million during the first quarter, according to International Data Corp. Shipments were down 8% sequentially.

MILPITAS, CA – Worldwide sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment surged 19% to an all-time high of $71.2 billion in 2020, says SEMI.

NEVADA CITY, CA – In 2020, sales at the top 50 EMS companies worldwide accounted for $384 billion in revenue, up 4.6% year-over-year, largely as a result of the top 10 EMS firms dominating industry growth.

AUSTIN, TX – EMS company BSU opened a new Austin, TX, headquarters.

SUZHOU, CHINA – 1 Click SMT Technology has opened a new demo center here to provide local support to the automotive and medical instrument industries.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Total semiconductor unit shipments, including ICs, optoelectronics, sensor/actuator, and discrete devices, are forecast to rise 13% in 2021 to 1.13 trillion units, setting an all-time annual record, according to IC Insights. This would mark the third time semiconductor units have surpassed one trillion units in a calendar year.