BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC has released revision A to IPC-9850, Surface Mount Placement Characterization, reportedly making it simpler to quantify the performance of placement equipment.

SAN JOSE -- A positive earnings forecast by a provider of optical and laser components suggests Fabrinet is recovering faster than expected from the Thailand floods.

EL SEGUNDO – Chip inventories held by semiconductor suppliers declined in the third quarter, putting a halt to the steady expansion of the previous seven quarters, as the industry cut production to reduce oversupply, says IHS iSuppli.

Semiconductor stockpiles in the third quarter stood at 81 days, down 2.5% sequentially, says the research firm.

The days of inventory level had been on the rise since the third quarter of 2009 when it stood at just 65 days – a time when stockpiles were low because production had been reduced during the dark days of the recession.

Since then, DOI had been creeping up, partly to make up for depleted stocks, and also to cope with growing demand as strength returned to the supply chain. However, amid signs of weakening growth in the semiconductor market, the rise in inventory had generated concerns, according to IHS iSuppli.

Global semiconductor revenue in 2011 is estimated to have risen by a scant 1.9%, compared to a forecast of 7% growth issued early in the year.

“For the third quarter, semiconductor suppliers began an inventory correction to alleviate an escalating oversupply situation on top of already inflated stockpiles,” said Sharon Stiefel, semiconductor analyst at IHS. “With the global economy all but stalled, and in the face of declining orders as well as decreased visibility, many semiconductor manufacturers opted to reduce capacity utilization. And with lead times now declining to normal levels after extended periods of waiting in the past, manufacturers were more confident about trimming bloated inventories this time around without fear of causing too much pain to the supply chain.”

Despite the inventory cutback, DOI in the third quarter remained elevated in absolute terms – the highest of the last 10 quarters, dating all the way back to the fourth quarter of 2008 – suggesting that stockpiles are still quite high. Moreover, the percentage of oversupply during the period rose to 12.1%, exceeding the 11.1% spike in oversupply during the fourth quarter of 2008. As a result, expectations are that inventories will be trimmed further in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Inventory levels rose for handset original equipment manufacturers, distributors and analog companies, all of which posted percentage gains in DOI. Stockpiles, however, fell for fabless semiconductor makers, memory suppliers, foundries, PC original equipment manufacturers, storage gear companies and electronic manufacturing services providers.

For mobile handset manufacturers, inventories increased in the third quarter, as suppliers prepared for their seasonally busy end-of-year period. In comparison, inventory at pure-play foundries declined more strongly than expected – the result of a reduction in utilization rates, says the firm.

The company predicts total DOI to decline another 2.5% in the fourth quarter to 79.3 days.

NEENAH, WI -- Plexus today narrowed its fiscal first-quarter guidance, stating revenue in the range of $525 million to $530 million is anticipated.

PENANG, MALAYSIA -- Plexus Corp. will acquire Kontron's design and assembly operations here, and certain existing accounts, in a deal worth $30 million to $35 million.

ROLLING MEADOWS, IL – Panasonic has promoted M. Faisal Pandit to president of its electronics assembly equipment arm, Panasonic Factory Solutions Co. of America.

SANTA CLARA, CA – Tablet PCs are taking a bigger bite out of the mobile PC market, with shipments now making up 25.5% of all mobile PCs in 2011, says NPD DisplaySearch.

Tablets grew 256% year-over-year to 72.7 million units, as strong demand in the third quarter appeared to be a prelude to equally vigorous buying patterns in the fourth, says the research firm.

Introductions of significantly competitive new devices in the fourth quarter, strong demand for incumbents, and additional distribution channels have been catalysts for accelerated tablet PC shipment growth.

NPD DisplaySearch has slightly lowered its notebook PC shipment forecast in 2011 to 187.5 million units, up 12% year-over-year.

Mini-note PC shipments are expected to reach 25.2 million units, up 20% compared to the same period in 2010. Overall mobile PC shipments in 2011 are projected to reach 285.4 million units, up 31% year-over-year.

By 2017, notebook PC shipments are forecast to reach 432 million units, and tablet PC shipments are projected to reach 383.3 million units.

Ultrabooks are an emerging form factor that is expected to contribute to demand in later years of the forecast. Demand for ultrabooks will be driven by consumer interest in sleek design and convenience like instant-on and long battery life, says the firm. For the next two years, the premium price points of Ultrabooks will temper demand, and there may be some supply limitations in production of displays thin enough for Ultrabooks.

Tablet PC shipments will be driven by increasingly powerful multi-core processors, mature operating systems, growing application libraries, and higher resolution panels. NPD DisplaySearch forecasts that tablet PCs with 250 to 300 pixel per inch panels will make up nearly 25% of shipments in 2012.

Mobile PC shipments into emerging regions are growing, with 2011 shipments projected to be 138 million units, up 48% year-over-year, and increasing to 452.8 million by 2017. Mobile PC shipments into mature regions are estimated to reach 147.5 million units in 2011 and grow to 371.6 million units by 2017.

Mobile PC shipments will be up in late 2012 and 2013 with the introduction of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system and new mobile processors from Intel.

EVERETT, WA -- Fluke has acquired Martel Electronics in a marriage of electronic test and measurement technology OEMs. Terms were not disclosed.

SINGAPORE – Inspection equipment OEM Koh Young Technology has moved into a larger sales and service facility here to keep up with increased business in the region.

WASHINGTON -- The International Trade Commission has amended an ongoing patent infringement investigation of certain wireless devices capabilities to include LG Electronics and its subsidiaries.

SANTA CLARA, CA – After a tepid 2011, global TV unit shipments are expected to rise 2% to 254 million units this year, on higher demand for LCD models.

That’s up over the 0.1% growth in 2011, says NPD DisplaySearch, which also notes demand for flat panel models is moderating.

Flat panel TVs continue to grow, but at a more gradual pace of 2% to 4% annually, as the rapid transition from CRT to LCD and plasma nears an end, the firm says.

LCD TVs continue to be the dominant technology on a unit and revenue basis, and seem likely to capture even more market share because of a weaker outlook for plasma TVs going forward. As LCDs narrow the pricing gap with plasmas at many sizes, the demand for plasma has fallen. NPD DisplaySearch expects this to continue and has reduced its forecast for plasma TVs.

Large TV sizes also continue to show strong growth, with shipments of 40" and larger sets expected to grow 12% in 2012, while smaller sizes are forecast to decline 3%. A strong contributing factor to the growth of larger sizes, including an 18% increase in shipments of 50"-plus sets, is pricing. Sizes up to 50" will have average prices below $1,000 in 2012, and even 60"-plus sizes will fall below $2,000 for the first time, says the research firm.

During Black Friday holiday sales in the US, many 40" to 47" sets were below $500, and even 60" sets fell below $1,000, prompting robust unit sales, as consumers were attracted to the new price points.

Many consumers seem to be willing to give up features in favor of larger sizes for a given TV buying budget. Even in China, shipments of 50" and larger sizes are growing strongly, and it may become the only region outside of North America to reach a 10% mix of 50"-plus unit shipments by 2015.

LCD TV shipments will rise to 225 million units in 2012, up 9% year-over-year. LCDs will account for more than 82% of all global TV shipments in 2011, up more than 88% in 2012, as demand for plasma falls and OLED TVs arrive late in the year in small quantities and at high prices. LCD is now a strong competitive technology at all sizes and should climb to more than 95% share by 2014, as CRT fades and OLED is slow to grow, says the firm.

Premium features continue to grow, like LED backlights and 3D, and are keeping LCD TV average prices very stable, falling just 6% year-over-year on a volume weighted basis in 2011, the slowest year of LCD TV price erosion yet.

Price erosion will be about the same in 2012 before picking up to 7% to 8% per year through 2015, but much less than the 24% decline seen in 2009. However, with the slower ASP erosion, total LCD TV revenue growth should remain positive through 2013 at 1% to 3% annually. The share of LED backlights in LCD TV shipments is expected to be about 46% in 2011, rising to nearly 68% in 2012. 3D will account for around 3% of LCD TV units this year.

Plasma TV units grew 30% in 2010 as a result of favorable pricing advantage over LCDs, but as that advantage has narrowed in 2011, shipments are expected to fall 11% to 16.3 million units. The decline in unit growth and weak profits has led manufacturers to focus on more profitable segments, even at the expense of unit growth. As a result, plasma TV shipments are projected to fall to fewer than 10 million units by 2015.

The first OLED TV shipments are expected in the second half of 2012, but due to prices that are expected to be well above $4,000 initially and remain significantly higher than mainstream high-end LCD TVs, they will only grow to about 2.5% of the 40"-plus segment by 2015, says NPD DisplaySearch.

The worldwide forecast for 3D TVs slightly increased to more than 23 million units in 2011, with better than expected growth in emerging markets and Europe. By contrast, demand in North America has been surprisingly soft for 3D, and may only reach 3.6 million units in 2011, as US consumers remain price sensitive. Eventually though, North America will see a rise in 3D adoption as a result of stronger preference for 40"-plus sizes, where the 3D feature is common and expected to be less costly. Globally, 3D TV is expected to rise to more than 100 million units shipped by 2015.

Emerging regions, including China, Asia Pacific, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Middle East/Africa, will account for the majority of flat panel TV growth over the next four years, averaging 11% growth each year, while developed regions decline an average of 1% each year. In fact, China has become the largest market for flat panel TVs and will continue to be throughout the forecast period. The Asia Pacific region is positioned for strongest growth, as the late-adopting India market begins to boom.

WASHINGTON – Worldwide sales of semiconductors were $25.1 billion in November, down 2.4% sequentially, says the Semiconductor Industry Association.