ARLINGTON, VA – A coalition of seven trade associations sent a letter to US Trade Representative Katherine Tai outlining concerns regarding India’s mounting tariffs on information communications technology products and services.

BRUSSELS – The WEEE Forum, which represents global e-waste producer responsibility organizations, expanded its membership into Colombia, South Africa, Spain and Lithuania. New members are EcoCómputo and Red Verde from Colombia; ERA, South Africa; EEPA, Lithuania; and Ecolec, Spain.

HSINCHU, TAIWAN – Shenmao established an independent testing laboratory here called Cheetah Inspection.

INDIANAPOLIS – Specialty Coating Systems acquired Diamond-MT for an undisclosed sum.

SENAI, MALAYSIA – VS Industry Berhad reported fiscal second quarter revenue of MYR 999.3 million (US$241.3 million), an increase of 21.8% year-over-year.

TAIPEI – Foxconn reported fourth quarter net profit of NT$46 billion (US$161.4 million), down 4% year-over-year. Revenue was up 15% compared to the fourth quarter of 2019.

BANGKOK -- Plexus this week broke ground on a new 400,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility here, which the EMS company expects to be complete in the fiscal third quarter of 2022.

TOKYO – Toppan Printing has developed a flexible thin-film transistor that reportedly withstands a million bending cycles to a 1mm radius of curvature and demonstrates advantages for practical application, such as an on/off current ratio of at least 107 with carrier mobility of 10cm2/Vs or more.

IRVINE, CA – TopLine has been granted a US patent for lead-free solder columns for column grid array substrates.

TAIPEI – Pegatron expects to complete expansions in Vietnam and India in the second half of 2021 and begin an expansion at a North American plant this year, say reports.

NEEDHAM, MA – Worldwide shipments of smart home devices reached 801.5 million units in 2020, an increase of 4.5% over 2019, according to International Data Corp. Shipments are forecast to surpass 1.4 billion in 2025, with a five-year CAGR of 12.2%, as consumers seek additional conveniences brought about by home automation products and ambient computing through smart speakers and other products continues to rise.

BANNOCKBURN, IL — North American electronics manufacturing orders in February rose 21.5% year-over-year and 16.7% sequentially.