MINNEAPOLIS – CyberOptics Corp. today reported fourth-quarter consolidated sales of $13.8 million, down a slight 1.43% compared to the same period in 2010.

The firm’s revenues exceeded previously announced revenue guidance of $12.8 million to $13.5 million.

Net income was $547,000, a drop of 43.7% year-over-year, consistent with guidance.

Operating income was $688,000, down 31.2% compared to last year's fourth quarter.

For full-year 2011, consolidated sales increased 7% to $61.1 million, reflecting sales increases of 31% for inspection systems and 37% for the WaferSense product family, which were partially offset by an 18% decline in sales of SMT and solar sensors.

2011 net income rose 39% to $4.4 million compared to 2010.

“Our fourth quarter results were driven by strong sales of inspection systems, which increased 57% during this period. Within this product category, sales of automated optical inspection systems, led by our best-in-class QX500, increased 84% to $4 million in the fourth quarter and by 118% to $15.7 million for the full year,” said Kathleen P. Iverson, CEO and chair.

ORLANDO – The SMTA International technical committee requests abstracts for SMTAI 2012, scheduled Oct. 14-18 here.

PARIS – Electronics manufacturing services provider Asteelflash reported revenues of $780 million for 2011, up 18% year-over-year.

IRVINE, CA – Probe Manufacturing said today it has received a long-term commitment from a telecommunication company to provide global electronics design and manufacturing services.

Probe shipped $275,000 in 2011 to this new customer and expects substantial growth in 2012.

No other financial terms were disclosed.

SAN JOSE -- Cisco is seeking a buyer for the former Scientific-Atlanta set-top box business, according to a published report.

TUCSON, AZ – In a recent Offshore Group podcast, Harry Moser, founder and director of the non-profit Reshoring Initiative, says, “Manufactures, simple and complex, are returning to the US and North America.”

CHELMSFORD, MA – The IPC-2581 Consortium today announced a significant milestone in validating the accuracy and robustness of IPC-2581 data from generation through to consumption: availability of multiple inspection viewers for IPC-2581 files.

TAIPEI -- Foxconn has raised worker salaries in Southern China 16 to 25%, saying it wants to set a "good example" for Chinese manufacturers.

VELLINGE, SWEDEN -- PartnerTech reported fourth quarter net profits rose 16% year-over-year to SEK 10.2 million, ensuring the EMS company finished 2011 in the black.

VANCOUVER -- Empower Technologies has signed an agreement to acquire Northstar Electronics' contract assembly business for C$1 million and the assumption of up to C$2 million in liabilities.

WASHINGTON – Consumer watchdog group SumOfUs said it is doubling down on efforts to make the iPhone 5 Apple’s first “ethical iPhone” following remarks by the Fair Labor Association, the group Apple asked to investigate Foxconn factory standards.

Just days after announcing a partnership with Apple to discuss concerns regarding working conditions in the factories of the company’s Chinese suppliers, FLA president Auret van Heerden made statements regarding an organized walkthrough of Foxconn facilities, calling the factories “tranquil” and citing “alienation and boredom” for workers’ suicides, undermining claims of excessive overtime, workplace exposure to neurotoxins, and other dangerous working conditions.

 “It is inappropriate in the extreme for the FLA to be making any statements whatsoever this early in an allegedly independent investigation,” said Taren Stinkebrickner-Kauffman, executive director of SumOfUs. “So far all they've done is have a guided tour of the premises by Foxconn executives. What exactly were they expecting – that the company would voluntarily show them the dark underbelly of factory life on the first day?

“The FLA is funded and controlled by the same companies it is supposed to be monitoring,” Stinebrickner-Kauffman continued. “Moreover, most of the so-called ‘monitoring’ conducted by the FLA is actually outsourced to for-profit firms – and all of their incentives line up to provide a clean bill of health to factories.”

Over the past few weeks, 78,000 SumOfUs members have signed a petition calling on Apple to clean up labor abuses in their supply chain before the release of the next iPhone. In response to the remarks from the FLA, and in the lead-up to Apple’s annual general meeting in Cupertino, CA, next Thursday, SumOfUs said it would ramp up its campaign.

The organization announced today that it will do a “distributed” petition delivery, with hundreds of its members delivering the petition to managers at their own local iPhone stores around the world next week. This delivery ups the ante after SumOfUs.org and Change.org jointly delivered over 250,000 petition signatures last week to six Apple stores on four continents.

“Apple clearly took note of consumers’ concerns, but it responded with a whitewashing campaign instead of real solutions,” said Stinebrickner-Kauffman. “If hearing from customers at six stores isn’t enough, maybe hearing from them at a hundred will get the message across.”

FREDERICK, MD – EMS firm ACDi has acquired the assets of Fawn Electronics for an undisclosed sum.