Canton, SD – Contract manufacturer Legacy Electronics has begun production at its 40,000 sq. ft. manufacturing plant here.

In June the firm completed Phase 1 of the move from San Clemente, CA, including installation, calibration, and qualification of the Canton electronics component production line.

The firm has openings for manufacturing and test technicians, quality inspectors and rework technicians. Local applicants can send resumes and cover letters to applyinsouthdakota@legacyelectronics.com.

Founded in 1993, Legacy Electronics holds several patents and trademarks, including those for its Canopy chip-stacking process technology, and its Multiple Device Canopy (MDC) for embedded computing and high-density VLP modules.

SAN JOSE – Zero Defects International has acquired a new facility here to meet growing demand for PCB test equipment.

ARLINGTON, VA -- The Consumer Electronics Association issued a statement applauding US President Barack Obama for signing the America Invents Act into law.

STAMFORD, CT -- A leading research firm has lowered its 2011-12 outlook for worldwide semiconductor growth, citing overinventory and slowing demand.

DENVER -- The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has charged two executives of a Denver-based electronics recycling firm with multiple counts of illegal e-waste exportation.

SAN JOSE – The 90-day average bookings at North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers fell nearly 35% year-over-year in August amid uncertainties over demand.

TAIPEI – Hon Hai (Foxconn) was unsuccessful in selling a $205 million five-year bond issue, according to published reports.

The firm says offers for the unsecured bonds did not meet expectations, but did not say whether the company would reopen the bond.

The electronics manufacturing giant failed to sell a separate seven- and 10-year offer in May. When it reoffered the bond, a five-year offer sold at a higher yield than anticipated.

Hon Hai has sold more than $404 million in bonds this year.

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Industry and Security and China’s Ministry of Commerce will assemble the third annual US-China High Technology Working Group Public-Private Sector Dialogue on Sept. 26.

Participants will focus on how to use the export control system to conduct high-tech trade in commercial products.

They will also provide real-world examples of success in high-tech trade in the aerospace and semiconductor sectors, including how comprehensive compliance programs contribute.

Visit http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1002721 to participate.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – The world wireless test equipment market earned revenues of $2.79 billion in 2010, and Frost & Sullivan estimates this number will exceed $5.81 billion in 2017.

Mobile station testers, base station testers, drive testers, mobile backhaul test equipment, and wireless core test equipment are included in that market.

The growth of the wireless communication market has a ripple effect on the wireless test equipment market, as increased mobility and Internet access through mobile phones are expected to raise the demand for wireless test equipment solutions, says the research company.

Long-term evolution, the next step in the evolution of mobile networks, delivers high data rates of up to 100Mbps. Such heavy data loads will challenge wireless operators to manage their networks effectively and ensure customer satisfaction, while still staying profitable, the firm says.

Higher mobile data usage creates more traffic on the network, leading to increased demand to test for quality of service and quality of experience. Educating service providers about the importance of testing and monitoring and its impact on QoE and customer churn is crucial to improve the uptake of test equipment, Frost notes.

“Enhanced data usage also triggers transmission pipeline-related technology changes, such as conversion from copper to optical technologies,” says Frost & Sullivan program manager Olga Yashkova. “Such transition creates new opportunities for testing one gigabit per second, 10GB, 40GB, and 100GB pipelines."

However, the surfeit of new technologies has thrown up numerous interoperability issues for SPs. As the number of devices supplied by different vendors increases, protocol management will become more complicated.

In the absence of a separate signaling or session framework, interoperability testing has to be performed at every existing node when a new element or software load is placed in service. These activities are time and resource intensive, with costs increasing in proportion to the number of tests that have to be performed. To avoid these hurdles, SPs prefer to work with fewer vendors.

One of the possible solutions to service providers testing concerns is multiple input and multiple output technology, which is a significant component of air interface test equipment. As the industry shifts from 2X2 MIMO to 4X4 MIMO or 8X8 MIMO, testing will become increasingly tough, says the firm.

Even though MIMO has several unique testing challenges due to its complexity, it presents numerous opportunities for wireless test equipment vendors.

“It will be awhile before the market experiences optimal performance from MIMO implementation,” notes Yashkova. “Nevertheless, the demand for higher data and bandwidth will force the industry to find more spectrums, and that, in turn, will prompt the higher adoption of MIMO.”

SPOKANE, WA -- Honeywell Electronic Materials will more than double its refining and casting capacity for high-purity copper and tin over the next 12 months at its facility here in response to rising demand in the semiconductor industry.

WILMINGTON, MA -- OnCore Manufacturing Services officially announced the opening of a new product introduction and electronics manufacturing facility here, its second in Massachusetts.

LAS VEGAS -- Construction of Fabrinet’s newest manufacturing plant remains on track for completion by March 2012, the company told analysts yesterday.