HOUSTON — STI Electronics has opened an IPC-approved training center here, the company's second in the US. The new center will conduct hands-on classes in basic soldering, J-STD-001 certification, rework and repair, and other IPC quality assurance programs such as IPC-A-610 and IPC/WHMA-A-620.

SHANGHAI -- It looks like businesses in China will ring in the new year with at least one carryover from 2013: wage inflation. Worker pay is expected to see double-digit growth in 2014, continuing a decade-long streak that has begun to hamper China's rate of growth and lead some companies to relocate projects to other countries.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Following a 2.5% decline in 2012, the global semiconductor market has regained its footing in 2013 with revenue set to expand by nearly 5% because of the strong performance of the memory sector. Global semiconductor sales in 2013 will amount to $317.9 billion, up 4.9% from $302.9 billion in 2012, according to preliminary estimates from research firm IHS.

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY -- Several IBM inventors have filed a patent application for an adapter for plated through-hole mounting of surface mount components. The disclosure relates to printed circuit board assembly techniques, and more particularly, to the attachment of temperature sensitive components designed for surface mounting.

SINGAPORE – A team of scientists from the National University of Singapore has successfully developed a method to chemically exfoliate molybdenum disulfide crystals, a class of chalcogenide compounds, into high quality monolayer flakes, with higher yield and larger flake size than current methods. The exfoliated flakes can be made into a printable solution, which can be applied in printable photonics and electronics.

OXFORD, CT -- MIRTEC Corp. reported sales at its North American division rose more than 17% over 2012. “We are very pleased to announce that sales revenue for our North American Division has grown by over 17% with respect to 2012,” said president Brian D’Amico.

NAKLO, SLOVENIA -- LPFK has bought out the remaining outstanding shares at its subsidiary in Slovenia. The subsidiary, LPKF Laser & Elektronika d.o.o., has made a major contribution to the group’s profitable growth for many years, the company said in a statement.

What news stories were CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY readers most interested in in 2013? Judging by hit counts, the SMTA-IPC colocation of their fall events was the leading story of the year.

MINNEAPOLIS -- CyberOptics announced that Kathleen Iverson will retire as president and CEO effective Jan. 31, as part of a planned transition. Executive chairman Subodh Kulkarni will assume Iverson’s duties after that time until a permanent CEO is appointed.

SON, THE NETHERLANDS – Neways Electronics has reached agreement with a German labor board to lay off 120 workers at its defunct subsidiary in Kassel, Germany.

TORONTO -- SMTC has named Sushil Dhiman president and chief executive, effective Jan. 6. He supersedes interim president and CEO Larry Silber, who was named to the post in May following the departure of co-CEOs Alex Walker and Claude Germain.

MILWAUKEE — Sixty-five percent of manufacturers experienced revenue growth in 2013 but nearly half still consider the economy the biggest challenge, according to results of the ASQ 2014 Manufacturing Outlook Survey. And while 64% of of the more than 700 respondents worldwide expect increased revenue in 2014, that percentage is down from years past, albeit slightly.