STAMFORD, CT – A leading research firm this week laid down the Top 10 technologies to watch, use, buy, order and manufacture for 2012.

SINGAPORE – Electronics manufacturing services provider Flextronics today reported second-quarter adjusted net income of $158 million, down 12% year-over-year.

Net sales increased 8% to $8 billion compared to the same period last year.

“From a revenue growth perspective, our business performed well in the quarter despite the sluggish macroeconomic backdrop. Outside of our Industrial and Emerging Industries business group, our three remaining groups grew both sequentially and year-over-year, driven by new outsourcing programs,” said Mike McNamara, CEO of Flextronics. “We have accelerated our exit of the ODM PC business, which will be completed in the December quarter.”

“We generated $176 million of free cash flow for the quarter, as we continue to tightly manage our working capital. This strong cash generation aided the repurchase of more than 19 million ordinary shares with a cost of slightly more than $100 million,” said Paul Read, CFO of Flextronics. “This week we also closed a new $2 billion credit facility."

For the third quarter, revenue is expected to be in the range of $7.3 billion to $7.7 billion.

SMYRNA, GA – UP Media Group Inc. seeks abstracts for PCB West 2012, to be held September 25-27, 2012, in Santa Clara, CA. The event includes a three-day technical conference and one-day exhibition to be held at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center.

DANDERYD, SWEDEN – Note reported third-quarter sales of SEK 272.5 million, up 0.22% year-over-year.

Operating profit for the quarter was SEK 13.5 million, compared to a loss of SEK 4.1 million in the same period last year. 2010’s third-quarter profit included structural and other non-recurring costs of approximately SEK 3 million.

For the first nine months of 2011, sales increased 8% to SEK 911.2 million.

Operating profit for the nine-month period was SEK 49.3 million, compared to a loss of 60.4 million in the year-ago period. Profit for the first three quarters of 2010 included structural and other non-recurring costs of approximately SEK 47 million.

In June, the company’s board of directors agreed to sell Note Tauragé UAB, Lithuania.

Note produces printed circuit boards, sub-assemblies and box-build products.

SEK 1 = US$0.1497

PATHUMTANI, THAILAND -- EMS provider SVI Public Co. today said it would temporarily cease operations at its plants in the Bangkok area although the rampant flooding has not damaged its factories.

FORT WORTH, TX – The SMTA today honored winners of its annual SMTA Awards at the SMTA International conference and trade show.

TAIPEI – Third-quarter global tablet PC shipments hit 18.7 million units, up 27.5% sequentially, compared to sequential growth of 60.9% in the second quarter, says Digitimes Research.

As a result of a weak global economy, Apple's iPad shipments did not meet third-quarter expectations with 13 million units, up 36.8% sequentially.

Most non-iPad tablet PCs endured high inventory issues during the period, according to Digitimes Research. Also, many launches of new tablet PC products have been postponed. Shipments of non-iPad tablet PCs only grew 10.1% sequentially.

For tablet PC CPUs, Nvidia was the No. 2 supplier in terms of shipments, while Texas Instruments fell to No. 4. Inventec is now the No. 2 ODM, with Quanta Computer falling to No. 5.

EL SEGUNDO – Shipments of dynamic random access memory for use in smartphones are set for triple-digit growth this year, outpacing the expansion of the entire DRAM market by a factor of three, according to IHS iSuppli.

DRAM shipments in smartphone handsets, as measured in 1 Gb-equivalent units, are expected to rise to 1.7 billion in 2011, up 157.2% from 2010. By 2015, shipments will increase to 13.9 billion units, up 700% from 2011.

Smartphones’ share of total DRAM consumption will grow to 7.6% this year, up from 4.4% in 2010, says IHS iSuppli. This will expand to 10.6% next year and then climb to 13.4% in 2013, 14.9% in 2014 and 16% in 2015.

In at least four recently released smartphones, dissections by IHS iSuppli revealed the devices had larger quantities of DRAM.

The Xperia PLAY from Sony Ericsson, for instance, had 512MB of DRAM, while the Galaxy Indulge from Samsung featured 576MB. The iPhone 4 from Apple had DRAM amounting to 544MB, while the Thunderbolt from HTC had the highest level at 768MB.

In comparison, a device released last year, such as the SGH T939 – an Android-operated, touch-screen smartphone from Samsung – had DRAM content of only 128MB, says the research firm.

Projections call for the average smartphone DRAM density to reach 715MB next year, up 55% from 461MB in 2011, with no near-term limitations on growth.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC’s Solder Products Value Council is urging tin smelters to become smelters of conflict-free minerals.

The association recommends the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition/Global e-Sustainability Initiative Conflict-Free Smelter program. The CFS is an audit and certification program that will identify and publish lists of smelters that have been certified as using conflict-free minerals.

Under conflict minerals provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, publicly traded companies will be required to submit detailed reports to the US Securities and Exchange Commission on the origin of tin, tantalum, gold, or tungsten in products. The CFS program is expected to benefit the entire supply chain by reducing the burden of complying with conflict minerals regulations.

TAIPEI – Hon Hai, parent company of Foxconn, posted revenue of $7.35 billion for September, up 3.4% sequentially, and down 12.5% from a record high in the same month of 2010.

DUBLIN – The worldwide electronics assembly market is nearly $1 trillion in terms of cost of goods sold as of 2010, according to Research and Markets.

The firm says the market is expanding rapidly, but is changing in composition in terms of outsourcing partnerships and in-house manufacturing. Moves are being made annually with regard to the manufacturing country of origin based on total cost.

Research and Markets says it has added The Worldwide OEM Electronics Assembly Market - 2011 Edition directory to its offering.

BANGKOK -- So called "50-year floods" have forced the closure of seven industrial parks (estates) in Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani provinces bordering Bangkok. Approximately 375 citizens have died and 650,000 people have been temporarily displaced from work. Concerns remain pending the high tides expected next week.