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PHILADELPHIA – Soldering guru Dieter Brammer passed away this morning at his home in Philadelphia.

Brammer was well known in the surface mount electronics manufacturing industry as a pioneer in the use of forced convection reflow for SMT soldering.

Originally from Lüneberg, Germany, Brammer immigrated to the US in the 1960s as a locksmith. He became involved in the membrane switch industry, printing and curing conductive inks, which led him to the electronics industry and the search for efficient drying and curing ovens.

He founded Screen Printing Technology in the 1980s in Eastern Massachusetts, eventually switching to infrared and later convection reflow soldering ovens. The business later became ABW Systems.

SUZHOU – Nordson Dage can now build x-ray inspection systems at its plant in Suzhou, China.

The facility is able to provide complete, fully tested products from a manufacturing procedure that replicates those used at its headquarters in the UK.

The plant was set up originally four years ago to provide subassemblies for the firm’s x-ray inspection systems.

LAMPHUN, THAILAND – Hana Microelectronics reportedly could spend $30 million to $35 million to expand production facilities, hiring up to 1,000 more staff in 2010.

SCHAUMBURG, IL -- Sparton Corp. reported results second-quarter fiscal 2010 net income of $3.2 million, reversing a net loss of $2.8 million from a year ago.

SINGAPORE – Surface Mount Technology (Holdings) reported fiscal third-quarter sales fell 17% year-over-year to HK$476 million on higher demand for turnkey business.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Electronics components orders swung higher in January for the seventh month in a row, according to a trade group of component manufacturers.

SCHAUMBURG, IL -- Motorola plans to split in two units early next year, the company said yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR – December sales in Malaysia’s manufacturing sector grew 16.2% year-over-year to RM43.3 billion, the first growth since November 2008.

Sequentially, sales rose 5.1% or RM2.1 billion, according to the nation’s Statistics Department.

Manufacturers of electronic valves and PCBs were up 29.4% year-over-year.

During December and January, sales were down 18.9% to RM469.6 billion.

US$1 = RM3.436

NEW YORK – The Natural Resources Defense Council has endorsed the first certification program for electronics recycling.

With the Basel Action Network’s e-Stewards Certification and Standard, independent auditors in North America validate safe disposal of hundreds of tons of electronics each year.

The first firms to be certified to the standard and those gaining e-Steward Enterprise designations will be revealed this March.

Certification criteria include not dumping toxic e-waste in landfills or incinerators; not exporting to developing countries or sending to prisons, and being accountable for the full recycling process.

The NRDC and Basel Action Network request all electronics recyclers become e-Steward Certified.

Funding will be provided by the 14 recycling firms designated as e-Steward Founders: Boliden AB, California Electronic Asset Recovery, Cascade Asset Management, ECS Refining, Electronic Recyclers International, GreenCitizen, Hesstech, Metech, Redemtech, RELectronics, the Surplus Exchange, Total Reclaim, Waste Management Recycle America, and WeRecycle!.

Right now, 50 recyclers are considered pledged e-Stewards. Other large electronics recyclers in North America are expected to be certified within the next 18 months.

SENECA, PA – The Matric Group, parent of EMS companies Matric and Dynamic Manufacturing, and R2J Technologies have acquired MLS Electrosystem, a manufacturer of blade pitch control systems for utility grade wind turbines.

No financial terms were disclosed.

The firm will be renamed Windurance LLC.

The Matric Group manufactures pitch control systems, which it will provide to Windurance.

R2J Technologies will provide design and engineering capabilities to the renamed firm.

NELSON, BC – Contract assembler Pacific Insight Electronics reported fiscal second-quarter sales of $7.41 million, essentially flat with last year.

MORRISVILLE, NC -- Juki Automation Systems today became the latest assembly equipment company to sign up to exhibit at Virtual PCB, the industry's only online trade show.