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BANNOCKBURN, IL – A clear positive shift can be seen in the North American EMS industry’s intentions for capacity expansion and new equipment purchase compared to one year ago, says IPC.

One-third of 58 companies participating in IPC’s North American EMS statistical program indicated they will “very likely” or “definitely” add assembly capacity in 2010. In 2009, only 17% of the participating companies indicated intent to expand.

Thirty-five percent of the respondents anticipate the need to buy new inspection equipment this year, while 20% are likely to buy new pick-and-place equipment and ovens.

BERKELEY — The National Science Foundation has awarded a $24.5 million five-year grant to the University of California, Berkeley to fund electronics power-reduction research.

According to published reports, the grant will underwrite a new center that could eventually lead to a million-fold reduction in electronics power consumption.

Researchers will focus on the basic logic switch in computer chips, which demands about 1 V to function well. Electronic circuit wires could operate well on a few millivolts, say the researchers. The goal is to find a lower voltage alternative to modern-day transistors.

The Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science, or E3S, is one of five multi-institutional science and technology centers to be established in 2010.

UC Berkeley researchers will partner with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Contra Costa College, Los Angeles Trade Technical College and the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

ST. LOUIS – Viasystems Group today announced fourth-quarter net sales fell 11.1% year-over-year, but increased 8.5% sequentially to $131.4 million on stronger demand in automotive, telecommunications and computer/datacom.

TOKYO – Japan-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers posted ￥85.1 billion in orders in January on a three-month average basis, up a staggering 237.4% year-over-year, and 9.9% sequentially, says the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan.

Japanese manufacturers posted a book-to-bill of 1.36, says SEAJ. A ratio of 1.36 means ¥136 worth of orders was received for every ¥100 of product billed for the month. A ratio over 1.0 is considered a sign of a growing industry.

January billings were ¥62.5 billion, up 36.4% year-over-year, and up 4.9% sequentially.

US$1 = ¥90.205

WASHINGTON, DC – The Global IP Center is pushing the US Congress to enact a series of IP protection measures this year, including anti-counterfeiting and trademark protection.

For 2010, the center supports passage of the Customs Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act of 2009, in an effort to stop the flow of counterfeit goods into the US.

The GIPC also promotes the conclusion of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement. And it seeks a Department of Justice task force to protect Internet IP and shut down rogue websites.

Founded by the US Chamber of Commerce, the GIPC urges Congress to pass legislation that enhances the US ability to engage effectively with countries that fail to enforce the rights of American innovators or live up to their international IP obligations, including an action plan for Priority Watch List countries.

It encourages the Obama Administration to engage India and China in strengthening their protection and enforcement of IP rights, and urges Congress to maintain a robust level of funding for IP enforcement activities, while planning for funding in 2011.

The center also encourages the government to continue to defend international IP rights by approving trade agreements.

HARTLEPOOL, UK – Stadium Electronics said it expects annual profits before tax to be about £2.5 million, up 15% over the previous consensus outlook.

TAIPEI – The world’s largest contract manufacturer of notebook PCs, Compal Electronics, will build a production facility in Vietnam.

Compal has looked at Vietnam in the past, but with pronounced labor shortages in Southeastern China, the company is revisiting its plans. The new plant is expected to be finished in the second half of 2010 or later, according to published reports.

Compal also is constructing its fifth notebook plant in Kunshan, China.

Other notebook PC makers currently expanding include Inventec in Chongqing.

WESTLAKE, OH -- Nordson Corp. reported first-quarter sales rose 18% year-over-year to $221 million.

EL SEGUNDO – As a result of huge sales and high memory usage, Apple’s iPhone is expected to generate insatiable demand for NAND-type ﬂash in 2010, straining supplies for the year, says iSuppli.

The iPhone is a NAND hog, consuming an average of 35.2 Gb of NAND, iSuppli estimates.

The volume is exacerbated by demand forecasts: iPhone shipments are set to rise to 33 million in 2010, up 31.5% compared to 2009. This growth is likely to lead to periods of undersupply for the year, the firm says.

iSuppli forecasts that mobile handsets with embedded flash units will grow to 732 million units in 2010, up 13.8% year-over-year.

Competitive mobile phones, including Motorola Droid, HTC Android Iris, Palm Pre Plus and Pixie Plus, and Google Nexus One, will aim to match the iPhone spec for spec in terms of memory capacity, boding well for NAND flash vendors.

Other products pushing NAND consumption include eBooks, smartphones and tablet PCs. eBooks contain 512 MB to 2 GB of embedded NAND included in each device. Tablet PCs use an anticipated storage density of 32 to 64 GB.

SALT LAKE CITY – Northrop Grumman Corp.’s navigation systems division has broken ground on a facility expansion to increase factory output for its commercial, defense and national security customers.

SAN JOSE – North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted a 90-day moving average of $1.13 billion in orders in January as the chip equipment recovery continued unabated.

AUSTIN, TX -- Global TV shipments last year far exceeded initial expectations as consumers snapped up discounted products, says a leading research firm.