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TAMPA, FL -- SMT placement system OEM Europlacer has relocated to a new, larger facility here.

WASHINGTON -- The US House Foreign Affairs Committee has approved a bill designed to ban so-called "conflict minerals" -- tin and other ores mined in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

NORTH BILLERICA, MA -- BTU International today reported first-quarter net sales rose 75.3% year-over-year to $17.2 million. The maker of reflow and other ovens said its net loss for period ended April 4 was $300,000, up from a net loss of $4.6 million a year ago.

TEMPE, AZ – US manufacturing grew in April for the ninth consecutive month, with the PMI up 0.8 percentage points to 60.4%, says the Institute for Supply Management. The rate of growth was the fastest since June 2004, when the index hit 60.5%.

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

New orders jumped 4.2 points to 65.7%, and production was up 5.8 points to 66.9%. Inventories were down 5.9 percentage points to 49.4%, while customer inventories dipped 6 points to 33%. Backlogs were down a slight 0.5 points to 57.5%. Employment registered its fifth consecutive month of growth.

“The manufacturing sector grew for the ninth consecutive month during April,” said ISM spokesperson Norbert J. Ore. “Manufacturers continue to see extraordinary strength in new orders, as the New Orders Index has averaged 61.6% for the past 10 months. Overall, the recovery in manufacturing continues quite strong, and the signs are positive for continued growth.”

The overall economy grew for the 12th consecutive month.

RICHARDSON, TX – EMS provider Trilogy Circuits has completed its facility expansion, doubling its size to 20,000 sq. ft.

“With the expansion of our facility, we look forward to continued growth in all areas of our markets, including government and the aerospace industries, as well as expanding on our existing capabilities, which include functional tests, box build and chassis units, printed circuit assembly and cabling assembly,” said Charles Capers, CEO of Trilogy Circuits.

Trilogy Circuits has hired several production engineers and assembly technicians since beginning the expansion of its headquarters in 2009, and plans to increase its workforce in the Dallas-Fort Worth area by an additional 20% over the next year.

SAN JOSE -- The 90-day moving average of worldwide semiconductor sales in March rose 4.6% sequentially and 58.3% year-over-year, setting a new monthly record in the process, the Semiconductor Industry Association today reported.

ANGLETON, TX -- While others in the EMS industry are buying up competitors and announcing expansion plans, Benchmark Electronics has no plans to alter its global footprint, company executives say.

SHENZHEN -- Nam Tai Electronics, the world's 23d largest EMS company, said its March quarter sales fell 22.4% year-over-year as its telecom and consumer handhelds segments continued to slide.

MALIBU – HRL Laboratories will lead an expert team on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Physical Intelligence Program, with the goal of developing a physically grounded understanding of intelligence that can be applied to engineered systems.

SINGAPORE – Top 10 EMS provider Venture Corp. today reported first-quarter revenue of S$639.5 million, down 11.9% from last year.

CLEARWATER, FL -- Bulova Technologies Group intends to divest two of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, BT Manufacturing and BulovaTech Labs, to concentrate on its core defense business.

GOTEBORG, SWEDEN – FlexLink reported net sales for the first quarter were $42 million, up 22% compared to previous year.

Orders were $48 million, up 39% year-over-year. Net earnings were $3 million, flat with last year.

The company said it received significant orders from the electronics industry, and a positive trend is expected to continue throughout 2010.