REDMOND, WA -- Data I/O swung to a net loss in the fourth quarter on impairment charges and lower orders.

NEW YORK -- Does Fabrinet intend to build its own datacom systems?

ARLINGTON, VA -- Three non-governmental organizations have filed a brief with the US Court of Appeals in a suit that challenges the final SEC rule implementing
the so-called Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, commonly referred to as the “conflict minerals rule.”

SAN DIEGO – ESTECH 2013, the 59th annual technical meeting and exposition of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology, will kick off April 29 here and run through May 2.

ATLANTA -- Consider all the process-related equipment and materials that were conceived but either were short-lived or never made it: The plastic stencil. Unmixed solder and flux. TAB bonding. The list goes on.

SHANGHAI – IPC has appointed Peter Chiang as its vice president of IPC China. Chiang also will serve as IPC’s chief representative for Taiwan.

NEENAH, WI -- Plexus has entered into a strategic agreement with U.S.R. Electronic Systems under which the latter will support Plexus` customers requiring manufacturing and engineering solutions within Israel.

MAUI – The 2013 Pan Pacific Symposium Best Presentation Award went to Rolf Aschenbrenner, Ph.D., in a vote by attendees of the January conference.

DUBLIN – The worldwide electronics assembly market has experienced enormous growth over the past 19 years, nearly quadrupling in size to approximately $1.1 trillion in terms of cost of goods sold as of 2011, says Research and Markets.

SAN JOSE – A pair of trade groups will host a workshop on flame resistance requirements for electronics this spring.

MINNEAPOLIS -- AOI and SPI OEM CyberOptics took a net loss of $6.5 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31 as revenue fell sharply in its fiscal fourth quarter.

FINLAND -- EMS firm Scanfil reported December quarter sales rose 5% to 40.8 million euros, while net profits rose from flat to 300,000 euros.