BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit board shipments in October decreased 9.6% year-over-year, as orders dipped 0.1% from October 2010, says IPC.

PITTSBURGH -- A private equity group has acquired the assets of The Millennia Group, a PCB fabricator and EMS company with multiple sites in the Midwest.

BUCKS, UK – A UK-based technical association has released an interactive guide to inspecting for fake components.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The US Environmental Protection Agency is soliciting comments on the proposed renewal of the recordkeeping and reporting requirements on the production, importation, recycling, destruction and shipment of ozone-depleting substances.

DUBLIN -- The global semiconductor equipment market will grow 3.8% compounded annually from 2010 to 2015, a new research report says.

FT. COLLINS, CO -- Dr. William (Bill) Kenyon, 74, the scientist many credit as the driving force behind SMT cleaning technology, passed away Nov. 22 following a brief illness.

REDMOND, WA – Data I/O Corp. has partnered with Aegis Software to deliver solutions for end unit traceability, process tracking, and quality management.

No financial terms were disclosed.

Aegis solutions aid in data acquisition and visualization, process tracking and control, quality analysis, document management, reporting and material traceability. Additional features include real-time data dashboards and interactive multimedia.

Data I/O provides RoadRunner 3 and PS Series automated programming solutions with Factory Integration Software. FIS track and remote modules interface with external software systems, including Aegis’.  FIS Track enables automated collection and export of programming results. FIS Remote provides remote control of programming commands.

SIOUX FALLS, SD -- Raven Industries reported third-quarter sales in its contract assembly unit fell 3% from a year ago to $17.3 million on softer aerospace demand.

SHANGHAI – SMTA China is requesting papers for SMTA China Conferences in Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen and Wuhan in 2012.

These events will address issues in electronics manufacturing, business focus, advanced packaging, emerging technologies, and lead-free and reliability.

Papers are requested on topics associated with assembly, business, emerging technologies, harsh environment applications, and PCB technology.

Submit abstracts to Peggy Chen at peggy@smta.org, including your name, job title, company affiliation, and all pertinent contact information, as well as your choice of technology conference to present the paper.

Deadlines for bilingual abstract and bilingual speaker bio submissions are:

SMTA China East Conference: Feb. 10
SMTA China South Conference: June 10
SMTA China West Conference in Chengdu: Feb. 1
SMTA China North Conference in Wuhan: May 31

TORONTO – The SMTA Toronto chapter requests abstracts for the International Conference on Soldering and Reliability (ICSR), May 15-18.

Suggested topics include Pb-free assembly and test; manufacturing process; reliability; package on package; harsh environment; corrosion; tin whiskers; halogen-free laminates; new alloys; high-density interconnects; electromigration; thermal interface materials; thermal dissipation; underfill; environmental compliance/regulations; printed electronics; conformal coating, and die attach soldering and L-F challenges. 

Submit 200- to 300-word abstracts to Patti Hvidhyld at patti@smta.org. Abstracts are due Jan. 13.

Authors will be notified of acceptance by February. Technical papers are required on Mar. 30.

TOKYO – Japanese printed circuit board fabricators reported September revenues fell 4.7% year-over-year as flooding in Thailand and competition from Taiwan continues to take its toll.

Total revenue for the month was 52.8 billion yen, up 12.8% from August, traditionally a slower month.

Total production volume was 1.484 million sq. meters, up 9.1% sequentially, but down 13% year-over-year, says the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.  

Overall business is still trending downward, the trade group says, citing increased pricing pressure and lower production. 

Year-to-date revenue through September was 462 billion yen, down 14.9% year-over-year. Year-to-date production volume totaled 12.56 million m², down 10.2%
compared to 2010. The rate of decline in revenue is steeper than the rate of decline in volume, signaling pricing pressures.

Buildup rigid boards and rigid modules, key products for the PWB industry in Japan, did show signs of a rebound in September compared to August, but volume is still off by double digits compared to the same month last year, says METI.

The numbers are better for flexible circuit board shipments during September. Revenue shrunk 4.3%, but volume increased 10.5% compared to the last year. Manufacturers are lowering prices to maintain volume: The average price decrease for single-sided flexible circuit boards is almost 25%.

The flood in Thailand has caused many of the Japanese flexible circuit board manufacturers to temporarily halt production. Most of their plants are located in the hardest hit areas of the flooding, and it may take several months before they are back online, says METI.

VERN SUR SEICHE, FRANCE – Lacroix Electronique reported first-half fiscal 2011 revenues in its contract electronics group rose 27.2% year-over-year to 163.6 million euros.
 
Overall revenues for the period ended Sept. 30 were up 15% to 303.5 million euros.
 
“The group show[ed] strong growth, and this trend should be confirmed during the next financial year,” Lacriox said in a statement.
 
Lacroix operates SMT production plants in France, Tunisia, Germany, Poland and Romania. It also has five design centers.