TORONTO -- SMTC will hold an open house today to show off the recent expansion and equipment upgrades at its San Jose manufacturing site.

PARIS – AsteelFlash Group reported first-half revenue of $297 million, up 41% from last year.

ARUNDEL, UK -- An upcoming SMART Group workshop will look at benefits and disadvantages of ENIG, OSP, immersion silver, tin and solder leveling as finish options for printed circuit boards.

The Nov. 23 session will review performance during PCB fabrication and assembly, plus some of the common process problems. The impact on long term storage of PCBs also will be discussed. The workshop will include a tour of the Merlin/Artetch circuit board factory.

The workshop will be held Nov. 23 in Arundel. For more information: smartgroup.org/images/stories/finishesworkshop2010.pdf

SMYRNA, GA – UP Media Group Inc. seeks abstracts for the fourth annual VIRTUAL PCB, the industry’s only virtual trade show and conference for the PCB design, fabrication and assembly markets. The free two-day worldwide event takes place March 8-9, 2011.

TAIPEI – Foxconn will invest a reported $260.7 million to establish two subsidiaries and expand five existing ones in China, according to published reports.

GLENVIEW, IL – Illinois Tool Works reported third-quarter 2010 revenues of $4.02 billion, up 12.2% year-over-year.

Operating income for the quarter was $640.5 million, up 32% year-over-year.

Total worldwide revenues for the power systems and electronics segment increased 23.7% versus the year-ago period. Organic revenues grew 23.8% as a result of strong end-market demand associated with the welding and electronics businesses.

PC board fabrication revenues grew 68.6% compared to the same quarter last year, the company said.

ITW is the parent company of Kester Solder, Speedline Technologies, Vitronic-Soltec and other leading brands.

TAIPEI – Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn) said it filed several patent infringement complaints against Suyin Technology and its units in a US district court.

SMYRNA, GA – UP Media Group today announced the dates for the fourth annual VIRTUAL PCB, the industry’s only virtual trade show and conference for the PCB design, fabrication and assembly markets. The free two-day worldwide event takes place March 8-9, 2011. Exhibitors already are signing up, Bare Board Group, DownStream Technologies and EMA Design Automation among them.

A fully interactive, Web-based event, VIRTUAL PCB (www.virtual-pcb.com) incorporates all the critical features of a live event, while allowing PCB design, fabrication and assembly equipment and materials buyers and sellers to interact online. VIRTUAL PCB is supported by a proven software platform (provided by INXPO), and will be accessible on-demand for one month beyond the free two-day live event. The 2010 event drew more than 2,900 registrants and 1,600 attendees from around the world.

Features of the upcoming virtual event will include custom exhibit booths, live attendee-attendee and attendee-exhibitor communication, live and on-demand equipment demonstrations, real-time technical presentations, open “chats” moderated by industry experts, and much more.

“VIRTUAL PCB sets the benchmark for what a global trade show can be,” said UP Media Group President Pete Waddell. “It’s dynamic, with lots of methods to communicate with peers, customers or suppliers. Also, while live trade show attendance tends to be very local in nature, VIRTUAL PCB lets you talk with counterparts from around the world, either in a group or one-on-one.”

For more information about VIRTUAL PCB, visit www.virtual-pcb.com or contact Alyson Skarbek, show manager, at 404-665-7749 or askarbek@upmediagroup.com.

JONKOPING, SWEDEN -- A Kitron subsidiary here has received new orders worth some NOK 20 million ($3.4 million) annually.

LA QUINTA, CA – Electronics equipment growth will outpace worldwide GDP by a factor of more than two-to-one over the next five years, while PWB growth will be even higher, according to a leading industry analyst.

LA QUINTA, CA – The US recession ended in the summer of 2009. You hadn’t noticed? That’s because recovery has been “mediocre, muted,” according to Shawn DuBravac, chief economist and director of research for the Consumer Electronics Association.

LAS VEGAS – IPC invites researchers, technical experts and industry leaders to submit 300-word abstracts for poster presentations at Apex Expo, taking place at the Mandalay Bay here April 12 to 14.

Technical poster presentations are being sought on design, materials, assembly, processes and equipment. Submissions in the areas of printed electronics, package-on-package assembly, solar cell assembly, advanced substrates, reliability and Pb-free assembly are especially encouraged.

Submit abstracts at www.ipcapexexpo.org/cfposters by Feb. 18.