GLENVIEW, IL -- Illinois Tool Works' Power Systems and Electronics business unit reported sales rose 17% year-over-year in the second quarter.

BALLERUP, DENMARK – Eltraco Group has split into two companies, effectively dividing responsibility for the company's new and used SMT equipment lines.

WASHINGTON -- A proposed rule regulating the volume of ozone that can be released in the Northeast US could force considerable changes to the way cleaning chemistries are used, industry experts say.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – With denser and more complicated assemblies necessitating automated inspection processes, the surface mount technology inspection market rebounded from the slowdown, with a growth rate of 6.9% in 2010, according to Frost & Sullivan.

The market earned revenues of $922.8 million last year, and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% to reach $1.68 billion in 2017.

In the next seven years, segments likely to gain the most are AOI equipment and x-ray inspection solutions, the firm says.

"The AOI equipment system will get a leg up from machine vision-based algorithms that are relatively flexible, easy to program, and capable of better detection with less false call rates," says analyst Lavanya Rammohan.

New inspection equipment should be able to handle component miniaturization, which is a driver of SMT inspection equipment.

The equipment market is expected to witness a spate of strategic alliances and mergers and acquisitions, says Frost.

IRVINE, CA – Electronics design and manufacturing services firm Probe Manufacturing today reported second-quarter revenue growth of 54% compared to the same period last year, totaling $1.2 million.

Net profit from operations was up 147% to $59,688 year-over-year.

“We’re pleased to report that the second quarter of 2011 was our first quarter of over $1 million in sales since fourth quarter of 2008,” said Kam Mahdi, Probe’s CEO. “Our year-to-date revenue growth was primarily due to higher volume from existing accounts of approximately $500,000, and the addition of 10 new accounts.”

Sales for the first six months of 2011 were $2.07 million, up 40% year-over-year. Net profit was $100,793, an increase of 146% over 2010.

The company plans to expand its sales force in the second half of 2011 and target larger scale contracts in the aerospace, medical, industrial, instrumentation and automotive industries.

SAN JOSE -- OnCore Manufacturing Services has acquired Victron in a deal between two similar-sized privately held EMS companies.

SANTA CLARA, CA – Apple shipped more than 13.5 million mobile PCs in the second quarter, for 136% year-over-year shipment growth, overtaking HP for the top spot, says DisplaySearch.

Nearly 80% of Apple’s mobile PC shipments were iPads, which reached over 10.7 million units, for 107% year-over-year growth. Apple’s total mobile PC shipments (notebook and tablet PCs) were 3.9 million units more than HP’s nearly 9.7 million units for the quarter.

Tablet PCs continue to be the engine of growth for the mobile PC industry, the firm says. Tablet PC shipments were up nearly 70% sequentially and over 400% year-over-year, with nearly 16.4 million units shipped in the second quarter.

Notebook PC shipments were down 2% sequentially, but up 2% compared to the same quarter last year, with nearly 48 million units shipped during the period.
A consumer notebook PC adoption slowdown continues to hold back the industry following a 2% year-over-year drop in shipments in the first quarter of 2011. Worldwide mobile PC shipments (including notebook and tablet PCs) reached 64.4 million in the second quarter, up 10% sequentially and 28% year-over-year.

Among the top five players, Acer experienced the largest decline in shipment growth, with a 4% sequential drop, and a decline of 12% year-over-year.

In the notebook PC category, Samsung and Dell had the fastest shipment growth, up 44% and 33% year-over-year, respectively. Dell was also up sequentially, with 27% shipment growth, as it continues to take advantage of a rebound in commercial market PC shipments. Samsung’s shipments fell 16% sequentially, as it was unable to build off of strong shipment results in EMEA and China. Still, Samsung was able to top first-quarter shipment levels in North America and Asia Pacific.

Tablet PC shipment results show that even after removing Apple from growth rate calculations, worldwide year-over-year tablet PC shipment growth reached 25%, and shipments of non-Apple tablets reached more than 5.6 million units for the quarter, according to DisplaySearch.

MILPITAS, CA -- Zollner Elektronik has started work on a 52,000 sq. ft. NPI center in Milpitas, CA, with production slated to begin later this year.

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL – Millennium Electronics will shutter its electronics assembly plant in this north Chicago suburb, CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY has learned.

KEMPELE, FINLAND -- The electronics manufacturing division of PKC Group could lay off up to 80 workers as part of a cost-cutting move to better compete with lower-cost regions.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Fabrinet has entered into a facility agreement to borrow $30 million to construct an electronics manufacturing plant in Klongneung, Thailand.

INGOLSTADT, GERMANY – Zestron president Dr. Harald Wack has been named to run Dr. O.K. Wack Chemie, the parent company.

Wack’s father, Dr. Oskar Wack, founded the precision cleaning company in his garage in 1975. The business then expanded into electronics cleaning, and Zestron was formed. Headquartered outside Munich, the firm now operates technical centers in Ingolstadt; Manassas, VA; Kulim, Malaysia; and Shanghai. O.K. Wack focuses on automotive cleaning products.

In addition, Michael McCutchen has been promoted to vice president of Zestron Americas and South Asia, and Christine Demetz is now operations manager. Dr. Harald Wack has assumed the role of president for both firms, and will be based in Europe.