ERLANGER, KY – A selective soldering seminar will take place here Sept. 25, hosted by Seho North America and Balver Zinn.

The one-day seminar will focus on precision in the selective soldering process, with the resulting demand for process optimization to improve both quality and cycle time. The seminar will provide theoretical background information followed by hands-on training.

Attendees will learn process teaching parameters; Pb-free selective soldering; typical issues in the selective soldering process, such as poor hole fill, solder bridging and solder balling; basic rules for board design to avoid difficulties in the production process, and process-related soldering defects and corrective measures.

Balver Zinn will present a practice-oriented lecture, highlighting the influence of flux on different solder processes and its impact on the long-term reliability of solder joints.

Additionally, a special focus will be placed on solder bath management to avoid solder contamination due to copper dissolution and other metals.

For more information, contact academy@seho.de.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- With their main business in notebook PCs under pressure, original design manufacturers are adding new capabilities that will allow them to capitalize on the soaring sales of ultrabooks, according to the latest IHS iSuppli EMS & ODM Market Brief report.

TAIPEI -- Test Research Inc. said May revenue approached $20 million on demand for AOI, SPI and AXI inspection equipment and circuit board testers.

WASHINGTON – Brian Toohey, president and CEO of the Semiconductor Industry Association, released the following statement today in support of H.R. 6012, legislation introduced this week by Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Rep. William Keating (D-MA) to stop the flow of counterfeit semiconductor chips into the US:

SAN JOSE – North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.61 billion in orders worldwide in May (three-month average), up 0.6% sequentially, and down 0.7% year-over-year, says SEMI.

OYSTER BAY, NY – Global revenue for carrier Wi-Fi access points and controllers will reach $2.2 billion in 2017, eight times its current size, says ABI Research.

This level is equivalent to almost one-half of the traditional enterprise or consumer/SoHo Wi-Fi segments in the same period.

The majority of the total market in 2011 was accounted for by Cisco, Ruckus Wireless, and Ericsson/BelAir.

As traditional mobile infrastructure vendors add Wi-Fi to their portfolios, these early market share rankings will fluctuate, says the firm.

Carrier Wi-Fi is defined as Wi-Fi that is provided as a service to mobile carrier customers, owned and operated directly or indirectly by the carrier, e.g. a third party hotspot provider.

SALO, FINLAND – Cencorp plans to shut down its subsidiaries in Hungary, Sweden and the UK by the end of 2012.

Total personnel will be 183 after the closures, compared to 310 prior.

Cencorp said it expects full-year net sales of its continuing operations to decrease compared to last year’s sales of EUR 21.6 million.

Full-year EBITDA is estimated to be positive compared to last year’s EUR 1.7 million, barring unforeseen changes to operations and the economy.

The firm has also decreased staff in Finland by 14. The firm plans to outsource its in-house equipment production, including supportive functions.

In North America, the company has let go of three staff members.

Cencorp provides laser and industrial automation solutions.

Ed: 1 EUR = $1.25

TIJUANA – Electronics manufacturing services provider Suntron said it has expanded its facility here, adding more than 27,000 sq. ft., for a total of 106,000 sq. ft., according to published reports.

HERNDON, VA – iNEMI is investigating project possibilities for Supply Chain Support for Medical Products.

A poll was taken to identify areas to focus discussion, and the two areas getting the most interest are investigate/develop OEM/supplier business models and operating agreements (e.g., identify/develop best known methods templates); collect and publish widely available information on component and supplier capabilities. 

On June 26, the group will start conducting biweekly meetings on Tuesdays, with the goal of developing a project Statement of work.

All meetings are currently open to anyone in the industry interested in participating in the project formation discussions.

For more information, visit http://www.inemi.org/node/2280. 

FRAMINGHAM, MA – The worldwide PC market is expected to grow 5% year-over-year in 2012, in what is likely to be a challenging year, says International Data Corp. Nearly 383 million PCs will ship into the market this year, a slight improvement over the tepid growth seen in 2011, as PCs continue to vie for growth amid intensifying competition from alternative devices, global political uncertainty, and a still bumpy economic roadmap, says IDC.

In addition to rising consumer saturation in mature regions, economic uncertainty, the launch of Windows 8 and growth of competing tablet devices are key factors affecting the market outlook, the firm notes. With the threat of a relapse into recession in several markets adversely affecting public spending and business confidence, the forecast for several key segments has been reduced, especially among small and medium-sized firms. Windows 8 could help reinvigorate a consumer market that has lost a degree of enthusiasm in recent years. However, questions about the release date, functions, and pricing for Windows 8 limit the contribution the new operating system may make in 2012. Consumer PC shipments are expected to see modest growth in 2012 with the revamp of a sleeker Wintel platform, fueling additional growth in 2013 through 2016. IDC expects the forecast period to culminate with total PC shipments topping 528 million units in 2016.

“The first quarter PC volume results showed an uptick over our forecast,” said Jay Chou, senior research analyst at IDC. “However, much of the volume was due to a faster-than-expected recovery of hard disk drive supply related to flooding in Thailand. PCs continue to face pressure from a weak economic environment and growing competition. Consumer sentiment could be revived with UltraBook or Ultrathin systems, provided the right price is reached. More price-cutting in the Android tablet landscape could free up some budget for PC purchases, but could also focus consumers on tablets rather than PCs. Ultimately, we expect modest PC growth this year, as the industry works through the transition to Win8 and related devices.”

“In the United States, the PC market will continue to witness the perfect storm over the next two quarters before we see any meaningful resumption of growth. Most consumers and businesses in need of PCs already have PCs and see no immediate reason to upgrade or expand. The market is also evolving amid a heated presidential election campaign, adding more stress to consumer and business confidence, with both segments refraining from spending or hiring. The good news, however, is that the forthcoming release of Windows 8 promises to bring new classes of products that could lead to a stronger refresh cycle as the year ends,” says David Daoud, research director, Personal Computing at IDC.

IDC continues to have a conservative view toward PC purchases in mature markets, which are generally expected to return to growth mode in 2012 after a contraction in 2011. Meanwhile, headwinds from the Euro crisis are increasingly being felt in the emerging markets, the previous stalwarts of growth. The outlook for emerging markets has become more mixed with Central Europe, Middle East and Africa increasing its outlook, while Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) and Latin America will experience slower growth in the short term.

SANTA CLARA, CA – Worldwide TV shipments fell almost 8% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2012, the steepest rate of decline since the second quarter of 2009, says NPD DisplaySearch.

Total TV shipments for the quarter were 51 million units. The biggest contributor to this decline was a slowdown in shipments of LCD TVs, which fell year-over-year for the first time in the history of the category, declining just over 3%, to 43 million units, the research firm says.

TAIPEI – Chairman Terry Guo says Foxconn will begin to see growth in profits in 2013, according to published reports.

While the electronics manufacturer will continue to concentrate on revenue growth this year, it does not expect losses, and predicts steady profit growth, according to Guo.

The company’s chairman did not provide a percentage of growth that is expected, say reports.