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ARAB, ALABAMA – EMS firm Current Circuits has merged with metal fab company Patterson Machines.

MILWAUKEE – The overall average salary for US full-time quality professionals is now $85,289, up 2.2% year-over-year and 5.2% compared to 2008, according to an ASQ survey.

Demand for quality management is surging, the firm says. Survey results show respondents’ salaries increase as their experience in the quality field increases. Quality professionals with more than 20 years of experience earned an average of $94,756. Professionals with 10 to 20 years of experience earned an average $86,993. Those with 10 or fewer years of experience earned an average $71,129.

Quality managers with more than 20 years of quality experience earn, on average, $4,000 more than managers with 10 to 20 years experience, says ASQ. These managers (20+ years) also earn over $12,000 more than managers with 10 or fewer years of quality experience.

Only 3.1% of respondents said they were unemployed, retired or laid off compared to 4.9% in 2009. More 2010 respondents also reported their companies didn’t have to make moves such as furloughs, layoffs or hiring freezes to weather the sputtering economy.

This year, 59% of survey respondents reported they have one or more ASQ certifications, and 25% said they hold two or more ASQ certifications.

Managers who are ASQ Certified Managers of Quality/Organizational Excellence reported they earn a higher average salary than their counterparts without this certification. In the US, the difference is $7,938. In Canada, the difference is $3,274.

Those in the US with Master Black Belt training earned a premium of more than $20,000 compared to those who stopped at Black Belt training.

A total of 5,348 responses were received this year, with the vast majority coming from the US and Canada.

DARMSTADT, GERMANY -- Plexus will set up a design and engineering center here as part of the EMS company's expansion into the EMEA region.

SUMMIT HILL, PA – A new collection of labor and space optimization techniques, assembly conveyor types, case histories, materials handling layout configurations and sizing dials, and examples of various return-on-investment scenarios is available.

Classic Productivity Systems, released by JD Gray Associates, also includes manual component insertion time values for through-hole components.

There are two versions: Rev A (278 pages) contains generic industrial engineering proposals should a company seek outside expertise in cost reduction; Rev B (243 pages) does not contain generic industrial engineering proposals.

The book provides a quiz to determine existing operation efficiency based on installed direct labor control systems, storage rack devices, level of robotic component installation, through-hole component clinching methodology, layout methodology, degree of inventory/tracking software and materials handling mechanization status.

HERNDON, VA — A new white paper reports on the progress of major OEMs toward removing halogenated flame retardants and PVC from desktop and laptop PCs.

LOWELL, MA -- Segue Manufacturing Services has acquired Sanbor Interconnect's plant in Xiamen, China. Terms were not disclosed.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Contract assembler HEI reported third-quarter a net loss of $510,000, cutting last year's losses by more than 50%.

NORTHAMPTON, UK -- UK-based Solutions Group has launched an EMS company here.

SMYRNA, GA – CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY magazine today announced AsteelFlash Group as its annual EMS Company of the Year.

ELKHART, IN -- Top 40 EMS company CTS Corp. is expanding its operations in Matamoros, Mexico due to growing demand for low cost North American assembly.

FLOWERY BRANCH, GA -- Qualcon, a contract manufacturer based in the Atlanta suburbs, is closing and will be auctioned.

EL SEGUNDO – Global consumer electronics equipment manufacturing revenue in 2010 is set for a rebound from the downturn of 2009, setting the stage for a sustained rise during the next four years, says iSuppli Corp.

Overall OEM revenue for consumer electronics in 2010 is projected to reach $340.4 billion, up 6.2% year-over-year, reversing the 4.4% decline in 2009.

The market will continue to climb steadily during the next four years, adding revenue ranging from $3 billion to $18 billion yearly, ending with more than $385 billion by 2014.

Consumer confidence levels this year are higher globally than they were in 2009, suggesting buyers will be more inclined to acquire new devices or upgrade old electronics equipment, says the firm.

Nonetheless, potential trouble could lie ahead, especially if the fragile economic recovery unspools and consumers decide to withhold spending dollars, iSuppli warns. Furthermore, inventories of consumer goods are beginning to accumulate, especially in LCD panels and televisions, where oversupply is starting to appear. And although overall unit shipments for electronic devices will keep growing in the years ahead, the continual price erosion that is a hallmark of the consumer market will lead to virtually flat revenue after 2012.

The strongest performers in the consumer electronics space this year compared to last are LCD-TVs and Blu-ray players.

LCD-TVs will ship more than 178 million units in 2010 – up slightly from earlier projections of 177 million units – bringing in revenue worth almost $95 billion, iSuppli says. Even in 2009, LCDTV shipments rose by almost 40%.

Blu-ray player shipments will reach 16.4 million units this year, up 82.2% compared to 2009. Blu-ray player shipments will continue to rise at rates exceeding 50% for the next two years, after which expansion will moderate and level off. By 2014, Blu-ray shipments will amount to 68.9 million – nearly eight times their 2009 level.
The long-term picture for Blu-ray, however, may not be quite as optimistic as figures seem to indicate, iSuppli believes. Because other consumer systems such as video game consoles, digital media adaptors and televisions are increasingly able to stream movies and other video content, the need for a physical disc player might diminish over time. iSuppli believes Blu-ray players will not enjoy the same longevity as the DVD player did.

The portable media player market in 2010 now is expected to fall short of earlier forecasts, iSuppli research shows. Facing greater competition from other electronic systems like cellphones with multimedia capability, PMPs will suffer declining shipments after what appears to be the market peak for the segment in 2009.