FRAMINGHAM, MA – Worldwide PC shipments totaled 89.8 million units in the fourth quarter, down 6.4% from 2011, International Data Corp. said.

TAIPEI -- Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai) reported December non-consolidated revenues rose 13.9% over last year to NT$360.944 billion ($12.4 billion). 

ANGLETON, TX – Benchmark Electronics said it expects to report fourth-quarter 2012 revenue slightly above the high end of guidance.

TORONTO -- An unspecified number of Canadian military transport planes have counterfeit Chinese electronics in their cockpit displays, a new CBC News report asserts. The report could prove embarrassing to Canadian defense officials, who have denied the presence of such parts, CBC News says.

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Cookson Group’s Alpha and Enthone businesses have become part of the newly formed Alent plc.

MEDWAY, MA -- Gunter Erdmann, the former president of MPM, has died. He was 73.

MANASSAS, VA – Zestron is presenting the first in a 10-part cleaning webinar series: “Why Clean PCBs.”

SAN JOSE – Growing demand for mobile devices, such as tablets and phones, inspires an improved outlook for chip sales in 2013, according to SEMI’s latest World Fab Forecast.

SHENZHEN -- Chinese authorities are investigating Foxconn Technology Group for possible bribe-taking, the EMS company acknowledged today.

BILLINGSTAD, NORWAY -- Kitron's chief financial officer has resigned, effective by the end of July.

LAS VEGAS -- Panasonic president Kazuhiro Tsuga yesterday said additional layoffs may be in store for the money-losing electronics giant. Some non-core business units could be sold to raise cash, he added in remarks at the Consumer Electronics Show here.

CAMDENTON, MO – Speedline Technologies - Electrovert says that all wave soldering machines sold after Nov. 1, 2012 will now carry a lifetime warranty on the solder pot casting.