HONG KONG -- SMT Holdings Ltd. reported fiscal fourth-quarter revenue fell 58% year-over-year to HK$182.7 million ($23.5 million) on operation downsizing and drops in demand for LCD TVs, computer peripherals, industrial and automotive products.

WATERLOO, ONTARIO -- Fresh off the departure of its global sales chief last week, RIM could be gearing up to lay off thousands more workers in the coming weeks, according to several media reports.

THOUSAND OAKS, CA -- A Teledyne Technologies subsidiary has entered into a definitive agreement to merge with LeCroy in an all-cash transaction worth $291 million.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit board shipments in April decreased 4.5% year-over-year, and orders fell 8.3% from April 2011, says IPC.

Year to date, industry shipments were down 6%, and orders were up 0.8%. Sequentially, shipments for April decreased 10.6%, and orders decreased 13.5%.

The April book-to-bill ratio decreased slightly, but continued in positive territory at 1.04.

A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

Rigid circuit board shipments were down 3.6% year-over-year, and orders decreased 8.6% compared to the same month in 2011. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments decreased 5.8%, and orders increased 1.2%. Sequentially, rigid shipments decreased 10.5%, while orders decreased 13%.

The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry remained above parity at 1.03.

Flex circuit board shipments were down 13.8%, and orders were down 5.2% compared to April 2011. Year to date, flex shipments decreased 8.9%, and orders decreased 2.4%. Sequentially, shipments decreased 10.9%, while orders were down 18.8%.

The flex book-to-bill ratio remained high at 1.16.

“April PCB sales and orders in North America continued slightly below last year’s levels and reflected normal seasonal patterns,” said Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research. “The good news is that the book-to-bill ratio continued to be positive for the fifth consecutive month. When orders exceed sales, there is potential for sales growth over the next three to six months.”

Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 89% of the current industry in North America. In April, 83% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 82% of rigid PCB and 85% of flex board shipments.

SANTA CLARA, CA -- Intel will invest more than $40 million over the next five years in a worldwide network of university research communities to explore and next-generation technologies for computing, online security and connectivity.

IRVINE, CA -- Probe Manufacturing reported net income of $13,000 for the first quarter ended March 30, down 68% from a year ago.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Jedec has published a new series of standards for component-level testing of high-brightness/power LEDs.

NEVADA CITY, CA – IC packaging revenue is expected to grow 9.8% compounded annually, versus a CAGR of 7.3% for unit shipments through 2016, says New Venture Research.

Handheld electronic gadgets such as smartphones and tablets are driving the demand for ICs in the consumer electronics industry, as is the return in demand for automobiles, the firm says.

Increased demand for product functionality is driving up the IC packaging revenue faster than IC unit growth. The growth in handheld gadgets, which are increasingly digital in design, will boost the growth of special purpose logic communications chips by a 16.7% CAGR for device revenue through 2016, versus a 13.5% CAGR in units. FBGA and QFN package solutions are the most in demand, which pull at either end of the pricing structure. QFPs are ranked third as a package solution, but are decreasing in demand over time. These devices are expected to have a 14.8% CAGR in revenue through 2016.

Wireless infrastructure products are also in high demand, which is helping boost consumption for standard cell and PLD chips, says NVR. These devices will grow at a CAGR of 16.1% in terms of revenue through 2016, while the device units are projected at 15%. High I/O BGAs are the package solution of choice over the forecast period, the firm notes, so the package revenue growth is projected to be slightly higher, at a CAGR of 16.3% through 2016.

Logic chips are in demand for a host of products; therefore, 32-bit MCUs are expected to have an 11.1% CAGR unit demand, although only a device revenue CAGR of 4.7% through 2016. QFPs and BGAs have the highest demand of the package solutions, although the QFP is waning in favor of the BGA. Thus, the package revenue is growing at a CAGR of 12.8% through 2016 for 32-bit MCUs, according to NVR.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – The updated IPC/JEDEC-9704A, Printed Circuit Assembly Strain Gage Test Guideline, makes it easier for engineers to run strain gage tests during the manufacturing process, says IPC.

“Revision A is about making sure there’s a common accepted practice for measuring manufacturing strain on printed board assemblies due to board flexure,” said Jagadeesh Radhakrishnan, a reliability engineer with Intel and leader of the effort within the IPC SMT Attachment Reliability Test Methods Task Group that helped revise the guideline. Whereas the first-generation document provided industry with target pass/fail points, the A revision, “… changes the focus to providing a methodology. It doesn’t give you targets; it thoroughly explains how to measure strain.”

Revision A includes formulas for calculating strain and describes techniques for analyzing data derived from these tests. The tests can be performed at many stages during the manufacturing of printed board assemblies. Components can be tested during assembly or during test processes in the factory or just before they’re packaged.

IPC/JEDEC-9704A also provides recommendations for sockets and ceramic capacitors; in the past, it just addressed ball grid arrays. “It also changes parameters for in-circuit test fixtures, providing best design practices so users will have fewer issues,” said Radhakrishnan.

SAN JOSE, CA — North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers reported bookings rose 10.7% sequentially in April, suggesting a near-term rebound is on the way.

KARLSKOGA, SWEDEN -- Top 40 EMS PartnerTech today acquired Aerodyn AB, a company focused on contract manufacturing of heavy components for ship propulsion with propeller systems or water jets.

DALLAS -- Texas Instruments today announced the shipment of nearly 6.5 billion units of copper wire bonding technology in its analog, embedded processing and wireless products.