TAICHUNG, TAIWAN -- Foxconn plans to invest millions of dollars in a new facility here to build robots for use in medical applications and other factory automation equipment.

SHENZHEN – Nam Tai Electronics reported third-quarter net income fell 86% year-over-year to $1.1 million on a change in the electronics manufacturing company’s focus to lower margin products.

WASHINGTON, DC — The 90-day moving average worldwide semiconductor sales rose 2.1% year-over-year in the September quarter, the Semiconductor Industry Association said today.

TORRANCE, CA – Seika Machinery said an independent lab has confirmed its Solder Paste Recycling machine is capable of producing pure solder ingots from solder paste.

The ingots produced by the SPR Unit are reportedly 100% pure, with no additives or impurities added to the solder paste during the recycling process. The system removes the flux from the metal and produces a flux-free ingot. There are no voids inside the solder ingots, says Seika.

A number of analyses were performed, including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Inductively Coupled Plasma technique, and Scanning Electron Microscopy.

The machine enables 100% of the metal content of waste solder paste to be recovered as solder bar, the firm says.

BOSTON -- The fall trade shows in the US have come and gone and, as usual, the up-and-down attendance was the story.

NEENAH, WI – Electronics manufacturing services firm Plexus reported fourth-quarter net income was $18.3 million, a drop of 31.1% year-over-year.

ANGLETON, TX – Contract manufacturer Benchmark Electronics posted sales of $570 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down 7.2% year-over-year on an unexpected drop in its test and instrumentation market segment.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – The electronics manufacturing services market is projected to grow 14.8% globally and 10.2% in North America this year, according to a new IPC study.

BILLINGSTAD, NORWAY – Electronics manufacturing services firm Kitron reported third-quarter 2011 revenue of NOK 352.7 million, up a slight 0.2% year-over-year.

Earnings before interest and tax were NOK 9.2 million, down 17.8% compared to the same period last year.

Net income for the quarter was NOK 5.6 million, up 11.4% year-over-year.

New orders accounted for NOK 391.6 million, and the backlog was NOK 820.8 million, up 17.2% and down 3.2% respectively.

The company opened a factory in China in September. Production has begun, and strong growth is expected during the next 12 to 18 months.

US$1 = NOK 5.4141

VELLINGE, SWEDEN – Contract manufacturer PartnerTech reported third-quarter 2011 net sales of SEK 535.6 million, up 11.1% year-over-year.

The company reported a loss after tax of SEK 5 million, compared to a loss of SEK 28.4 million in last year’s third quarter.

Operating profit was SEK 10 million, compared to a loss of SEK 5.3 million in the same period of 2010.

For the first nine months of the year, net sales were SEK 1.7 billion, up 7.7% compared to the year-ago period. Operating profit was SEK 18.1 million, compared to a loss of SEK 21.8 million last year.

“This was our fourth successive quarter with a positive operating margin. Third-quarter sales of SEK 535.6 million reflected improvement in every market area, with the exception of Point of Sale Applications and MedTech and Instrumentation,” said Leif Thorwaldsson, president and CEO.

“We opened a unit in Cambridge, which now comprises all of our British operations, including production and a customer center in the city’s technology cluster. The initiative represented an additional step in upgrading our customer center and completing the consolidation process in the UK.

“Conditions in the contract manufacturing market are generally favorable at the moment, and the third quarter offered no indications of a slowdown. Nevertheless, financial uncertainty in global markets makes it difficult to project future trends.”

US$1 = SEK 6.3551

OTTAWA – Contract electronics manufacturer OCM Manufacturing appointed George Henning president.

Henning was formerly vice president of manufacturing.

Dr. Michel Jullian, former president, CEO and founder of OCM, will become chairman of the board of advisors.

OCM Manufacturing recently completed an expansion of its Ottawa facility, doubling capacity. The company also launched a dedicated prototyping service.

DANDERYD, SWEDEN – Electronics manufacturing services provider Note posted third-quarter sales of SEK 272.5 million, up 0.22% year-over-year.

Operating profit was SEK13.5 million, compared to a loss of SEK 4.1 million in last year’s third quarter. The same period in 2010 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 was SEK 49.3 million, compared to a loss of SEK 60.4 million in 2010.

During the third quarter of 2011, the firm’s board agreed to sell Note Tauragé UAB, Lithuania. Manufacturing ceased at that location at the end of 2010.

US$1 = SEK 6.3551