MANKATO, MN — EI Microcircuits is planning a $6.7 million expansion at a new site here, according to published reports.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC and the Electronic Components Industry Association are planning to create an industry guideline for the best practices of communicating component obsolescence.

BRIDGEWATER, MA – Chase Corp., the parent company of Humiseal, reported revenues of $29.4 million for the second quarter, up 11.8% year-over-year.

Net income was $1.2 million, down 15.5% compared to the prior-year period.

For the six months ended Feb. 29, revenues increased 7.1% to $61.6 million year-over-year. Net income decreased 19.1% to $3.52 million.

Sales of conformal coatings were lower during the period, Chase said.

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL -- Longtime Chicago-area printed circuit board fabricator Imagineering plans to add electronics assembly capability this year, the company says.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- The five most prevalent types of semiconductors reported as counterfeits that have widespread commercial and military use represent $169 billion in potential annual risk for the global electronics supply chain, according to a new report.

SIEVI, FINLAND -- Scanfil will lay off 64 workers here as the EMS firm tries to shore up the site's flagging profitability.

TUCSON, AZ – The Offshore Group has posted the first group in a continuing series of videos that address questions related to manufacturing in Mexico, as well as those issues pertaining to conducting business south of the US border in more general terms.

Experts advise on topics such as how to take advantage of NAFTA, how to navigate the process of recovering Mexican VAT (value-added tax payments), and establishing an in-country business entity by using the experience of organizations that provide manufacturing support.

Ongoing information on Mexico business issues is provided in The Offshore Group's RSS feeds.

LEICESTERSHIRE, UK -- Paragon Electronics today reported sales grew 18% year-over-year in 2011, led by 30% growth for its EMS business, JJS Electronics.

DALLAS -- The 3D IC market is expected to reach $6.55 billion by 2016, a five-year CAGR of 16.9%, says a new report.

ST. LOUIS -- Viasystems Group has agreed to buy DDi Corp. for $268 million in cash, a deal that will vault the printed circuit board company into the Top 10 in the industry.

ORADEA, ROMANIA -- As previously reported by CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY, Plexus will invest $40 million to build a 280,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility here.

SAN DIEGO – IPC requests 300-word abstracts for the 2013 Apex Expo to be held Feb. 19–21 and professional development courses Feb. 17-18 and Feb. 21.

Awards will be presented for the Best US Paper and the Best International Paper.

Expert presentations are being sought on all relevant design, PCB fabrication and electronics manufacturing topics. Submissions dealing with Pb-free processing, repair and reliability, high-speed PCB laminates, and new research in growing areas such as green technology and printed electronics are encouraged.

Abstracts summarizing original and previously unpublished work must be submitted by May 4.

Submissions should describe significant results from experiments, emphasize new techniques, discuss trends of interest, and contain a summary of technical and/or appropriate test results.

Course proposals are solicited from individuals interested in presenting half-day professional development courses on printed board design and manufacturing, as well as electronics assembly processes and materials.

Technical conference paper abstracts and course proposals are also due May 4.

To submit an abstract or proposal, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org/CFP. For more information, contact GregMunie@ipc.org or ToyaRichardson@ipc.org.

For more information about half-day PD courses, contact AnneMarieMulvihill@ipc.org.