WASHINGTON – As the US bleeds manufacturing jobs, a House of Representatives committee has approved a bill designed to stem the tide.

The legislation would require the president to direct a board of federal officials, private sector executives and a bipartisan group of governors to assess the state of manufacturing and make recommendations. The goal is to produce a four-year national strategy for building US manufacturing competitiveness.

Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), who sponsored the bill, asserts America has lost one-third of its manufacturing jobs during the past decade. "[T]these job losses were not inevitable, and I do not accept the notion that there is nothing we can do."

The bill could be voted on by the full House today, and Lipinski is in discussion with Senate colleagues on a similar bill.

CHENNAI, INDIA – Foxconn halted operations this week at its plant here in response to protests after more than 250 staff became sick and were taken to a local hospital.

Foxconn said it closed the facility to be "checked and cleared by the relevant local authorities."

The firm’s license reportedly has been temporarily revoked, but Foxconn expects to reopen its plant by next week.

According to published reports, the firm believes the incident was caused by pesticide exposure. However, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, responsible for revoking the firm’s license because of negligence, said symptoms were consistent with inhaling a manufacturing cleaning liquid.

A policy analyst noted India’s numerous healthy and safety regulatory laws have not been well implemented.

EL SEGUNDO – Foxconn’s share of the global contract electronics manufacturing market could reach 50% next year as demand for Apple products skyrockets.

LUXEMBOURG -- Elcoteq said June quarter net income was 5.2 million euros, up from a loss of 11.9 million euros last year, on demand for flatscreen TVs and settop boxes.

ELKHART, IN -- CTS Corp. announced second quarter net earnings of $5.9 million, a swing from last year's loss of $7 million. EMS sales were down, however.

SAN JOSE -- Sanmina-SCI reported third-quarter net income of $22 million, reversing a net loss of $42 million a year ago.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PWB shipments in June were up 24.4% year-over-year, while orders increased 27.8%, IPC reported today.

PARIS -- AsteelFlash, the world's 15th largest EMS company, has signed an agreement to expand its production in Tunisia, the company's chief executive said.

DOWNERS GROVE, IL – After a booming start to the year, Dover Corp. expects sales at its Electronic Technologies business unit to tail off through the second half.

BERLIN – The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative is sponsoring a workshop here on the technical and regulatory challenges anticipated in the implantable and portable segments of the medical electronics industry.  

The event is scheduled for Sept. 16 and 17 and will focus on identifying the technology challenges and standardization gaps that can best be solved by collaborative efforts by the medical electronics industry.

Workshop discussions will cover research programs, regulatory requirements/processes, and technology deployment challenges.

The event will include speakers from Endicott Interconnect Technologies; IMEC; IZM; Med-el; Micro Systems Engineering; Reinhardt Microtech, and Sanmina-SCI.

For information and to register, visit http://www.inemi.org/cms/calendar/Medical_Pkg_Sept2010.html. 

CONKLIN, NY – The first Advanced Research in Electronics Assembly Consortium meeting of the year began with an update on the effects of print paste volume on drop test performance for 0.4 mm pitch CSPs.

The discussion migrated toward thermal characterizations, with a look at the reliability of thermal interface tapes, followed by in-depth studies of unique methods for enhancing the performance of filled polymeric thermal bond lines.

The thermal interface assembly “cookbook” was also reviewed at the event, hosted by Universal Instruments’ Advanced Process Lab.

A look at the overall robustness and reliability of electronics assemblies under conditions of overstress, thermal and isothermal cycling, long-term aging, and more complex loading histories included a focus on BGA and CSP assemblies, but emphasis was placed on configurations found to behave differently.

Presentations looked at pad cratering and an analysis of intermetallic failures on electrolytic NiAu; Pb-free solder microstructure and reliability, including detailed discussions on the thermal cycling of Pb-free BGAs, TSOPs, QFNs and solder joints; thermal cycling and why TSOPs, QFNs, LGAs, and passives are all different from BGAs in this regard; and a look at the reliability of reballed components and Pb-free solder joints on ENEPIG pads.

WASHINGTON – The National Association of Manufacturers contends the proposed Toxic Chemicals Safety Act bill hurts manufacturers’ ability to innovate and remain competitive.

“It dramatically expands the scope of the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority over every sector of our nation’s economy, sets unrealistic standards and timeframes, and puts unnecessary burdens on manufacturers with new and inconsistent statutory requirements,” vice president for energy and resources policy Keith McCoy said in a statement.

He said the bill will upset the tenuous relationship between manufacturers and regulators.

“Manufacturers support a US chemical regulatory and management system that is risk-based and uses the best science to ensure chemicals are safe for their intended use. We believe federal regulation should protect human health and the environment, promote innovation, restore public confidence, and avoid unnecessarily adverse economic impacts on small and large businesses.

“If enacted, this bill will create even more uncertainty for manufacturers and will hurt their ability to create jobs and grow our economy at a critical time in our nation. Manufacturers will continue to work with Congress to achieve meaningful reform of our chemical regulatory system, which is not overbearing and cumbersome to manufacturers.”