ATLANTA -- PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB is undertaking a survey of how printed circuit board designers, design engineers and other layout specialists use and think about various CAD tools.

WASHINGTON, DC -- US companies doing business in China are both more profitable than ever and more pessimistic than ever about their prospects in the world's most populous nation.

BELTSVILLE, MD – DfR Solutions is opening a new facility here to meet increasing demand for electronics reliability services and software.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – The worldwide PC market contracted sharply in the third quarter, with shipments declining 8.6% year-over-year, says the International Data Corp. The results are below IDC's August forecast of a 3.8% year-over-year market contraction.

KREFELD, GERMANY -- Hitachi High-Technologies Europe this month will host a one-day seminar on electronics manufacturing.

SUZHOU -- Surrounded by scores of customers and employees, electronics manufacturing services provider Enics in late September inaugurated its second -- and largest -- plant in China.

SAN DIEGO – Gentry Lee, chief engineer for the Solar System Exploration Directorate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will provide an inside look at the Mars Curiosity rover mission during his keynote address at IPC Apex Expo on Feb. 20 at the San Diego Convention Center.

PARIS -- The planned merger between BAE Systems and EADS, the owner of Airbus, has collapsed, reportedly due to resistance from the shareholder nations over how the new entity would be run.

TAIPEI -- Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn), the world's largest contract electronics assembler, today reported unconsolidated September sales rose 8.5% year-over-year to NT$240.54 billion ($8.21 billion).

DRONTEN, THE NETHERLANDS – Super Dry has expanded its factory here to meet greater demand for moisture-sensitive device cabinets in the Americas.

COLLEGE PARK, MD – CALCE and Buehler are offering a course on failure analysis of electronics at the University of Maryland Nov. 6 – Nov. 9.

WASHINGTON — US legislators concerned over the possibility of Chinese espionage today issued a report warning the US government not to buy equipment from telecommunications makers Huawei and ZTE.