OXFORD, CT – Mirtec Corp. reported sales revenue for its North American sales and service division grew more than 66% for the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to the same period in 2009.

President Brian D’Amico attributes this growth to the firm’s MV-7 In-line AOI product series.

Mirtec products have been successful in high-volume markets, including cellphone and MP3 player manufacturing, as well as low-volume, high-mix markets such as medical, automotive, aerospace and defense.

NEWARK, NY – EMS firm IEC Electronics Corp. has acquired all assets of Celmet Corp. in a cash transaction worth approximately $2 million.

A manufacturer of metal chassis and assemblies, Celmet had revenue of just over $3.6 million in 2009.

“IEC outsources millions of dollars of chassis assemblies annually. Celmet is a successful, well managed small business, serving customers similar to those of IEC in the military and industrial markets. The acquisition leverages the existing customer base of both companies and enables us to extend our capabilities in terms of products and services we can offer our customers,” said CEO W. Barry Gilbert.

Tom Guliani will be the director of operations responsible for the ongoing operation of the business, he added.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Despite concerns that reductions in government incentives will halt growth in installations of solar photovoltaic systems in 2011, iSuppli Corp. predicts the global PV market will continue to expand next year, as falling prices make solar energy more attractive.

Global PV system installations in 2011 will amount to 20.2 GW, up 42.7% from 2010. While this represents a significant slowdown from 97.9% growth in 2009, it remains an impressive performance in light of expected rollbacks in subsidy programs from various governments, the firm says.

“Because of the cuts in feed-in-tariffs in Germany and Italy next year, and the budget concerns in Greece, Italy and Spain, PV installations in 2011 will slow somewhat compared to the blistering pace of 2010,” said Stefan de Haan, senior analyst for iSuppli. “Furthermore, the weakening of the euro versus the Chinese yuan will artificially inflate prices for solar cells and other system components in Europe. But contrary to some observers’ fears, installations will continue to rise at a prodigious rate next year. Modestly falling pricing for solar cells and complete PV systems are expected to more than mitigate the negative impact of the falling FITs and rising yuan.”

Assuming the US dollar/euro exchange rate remains above $1.20/€, iSuppli predicts crystalline silicon solar cell prices will not increase in 2010, and instead will decline 5% compared to 2010.

Prices for installations in 2011 will fall slightly more, decreasing by approximately 10% on average in Europe. Installation prices will decline to compensate for reduced subsidies in the largest markets of Germany, Italy and France.

Because of this decline, the average ROI for PV installation projects is expected to remain attractive and continue to stimulate substantial demand. Even with Italy’s FIT cut of 10 to 27% split over the year, the ROI for solar installations completed in the country during 2011 will average 10% for major market segments. In Germany, assuming a 13% FIT cut, the projected ROI will be in the range of 8 to 10%.

With the ROI still positive, leading solar countries will still experience robust growth in PV installations in 2011, although at a slower rate than in 2010.

No. 1 solar energy country Germany will install 9.5GW worth of PV systems in 2011, says iSuppli. This will represent a 43.9% increase from 2010.

No. 2 solar generator Italy will install 2GW worth of PV systems in 2011, up 53.6% year-over-year.

The US will install the third largest total of PV systems in 2011, at 1.9GW, up 79.3% compared to 2010.

In fourth and fifth places, respectively, France and Japan will experience healthy expansion, with both countries crossing the 1GW threshold for new installations for the first time.

A notable dropout during 2011 will be the Czech Republic, as its installations plunge to 150MW to 250MW for the year, down from 1GW in 2010. The country’s precipitous decline will be driven by new FIT legislation reducing the current tariffs.

Foreign investors drove the market in 2009 and 2010, creating a solar boom comparable to that in Spain in 2008. iSuppli expects the Czech Republic’s government to take measures to drastically reduce the amount of new solar installations.

Global PV installation growth is set to undergo a major deceleration in 2012, with a rise of only 2.8% to 20.8GW for the year.

“iSuppli believes 2012 will be the year when the PV industry weans itself from the generosity of German subsidies,” de Haan said. “The German market will cool off and expand by only 4 to 5GW per year for the next several years. We believe the government aims to keep an orderly progression in order to achieve an ultimate goal of around 80GW of installed PV capacity.”

ESSEX, ENGLAND – PCB solder finishes are one of the most common causes of soldering defects and rejection of PCBs during assembly, according to recent surveys, says Bob Willis.

Design and process engineers highlighted solder finishes 35%, with delamination at 25%; third place were cosmetic faults.

As part of the NPL Defect Database, one survey showed that currently open joint failure is the most common issue. PCB solder finish was seen as the second biggest issue.

A free poster guide covers different pad finish examples at different magnifications, two solderability testing methods, and many of the common process problems associated with PCB surface finishes.

The guide is available at www.bobwillisonline.com/posters.

SHENZHEN – Nam Tai Electronics today reported second-quarter net sales of $113.9 million, up 11.9% year-over-year.

TEMPE, AZ – Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in July for the 12th consecutive month, says the Institute for Supply Management. The PMI was 55.5%, down 70 basis points.

A reading above 50% indicates the manufacturing economy is generally expanding.

New orders fell 5 percentage points to 53.5%. Production decreased 4.4 points to 57%. Inventories grew 4.4 points to 50.2%, and customer inventories were up 1 point to 39%. Backlogs dropped to 54.5%, down 2.5 points.

“Manufacturing continued to grow during July, but at a slightly slower rate than in June. Employment, supplier deliveries and inventories improved during the month and reduced the impact of a month-over-month deceleration in new orders and production. July marks 12 consecutive months of growth in manufacturing, and indications are that demand is still quite strong in 10 of 18 industries. Prices that manufacturers paid for their inputs were slightly higher but stable, with only a few items on the short supply list,” said ISM spokesperson Norbert J. Ore.

The overall economy grew for the 15th consecutive month, according to the firm.

SAN JOSE -- Global semiconductor sales rose 7.1% sequentially in the second quarter to $74.8 billion.

June sales were up 0.5% over May to $24.9 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported today.

SINGAPORE -- Surface Mount Technology Holdings said its fiscal first-quarter loss narrowed to HK$6.6 million ($850,000) from HK$16.4 million ($2.1 million) last year.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Inspection equipment OEM CyberOptics reported second-quarter net income rose to $969,000, up from a net loss of $1.92 million last year.

OLATHE, KS -- Elecsys Corp. announced a net loss of $20,000 for the quarter ended April 30, up from a net loss of $70,000 last year.

ANGLETON, TX -- Benchmark Electronics reported second-quarter net income of $20.8 million, up 75% over a year ago.

MINNEAPOLIS -- HEI Inc. generated net income of $79,000 for its second quarter ended July 3, reversing a net loss of $168,000 last year.