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ST. LOUIS -- Viasystems' fourth-quarter sales rose 8% sequentially to $131 million and bookings suggest more to come, company executives said.

MANCHESTER, NH – Contract assembler EPE Corp. is relocating to a larger facility here, the company said.

The move to a 45,000 sq. ft. facility, which began this month, would provide 50% more manufacturing space.

EPE provides electronic contract manufacturing services for the military and defense, medical instrumentation, communications, industrial automation, RF Technology, and professional consumer markets.

LAS VEGAS -- Sales of consumer electronics will top $165 billion this year, a slight increase from 2009, according to a semiannual industry forecast released today by the Consumer Electronics Association.

BRIDGEWATER, MA -- Chase Corp., the parent of Humiseal and the eponymous EMS company, reported revenues fell 8% year-over-year to $28.7 million for the quarter ended Nov. 30.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Electronic component orders grew for the sixth straight month in December, boosted by PC shipments, an industry trade group said today.

TORONTO – Celestica Inc. has acquired Invec Solutions, a UK-based repair depot, for an undisclosed sum.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC has issued a call for nominations to recognize contributors to IPC standards development and other activities.

Industry members are encouraged to highlight the achievements of their companies and colleagues through nominations for one or more awards.

Nominations are sought for the following:

The IPC Peter Sarmanian Corporate Recognition Award, recognizing a corporation (or division) in the PCB industry (supplier, board manufacturer or OEM) that has taken a leadership role and made contributions to the industry, while demonstrating support of IPC through participation in technical and/or management programs.

The IPC Stan Plzak Corporate Recognition Award, recognizing a corporation (or division) in the electronics assembly industry (supplier, EMS company or OEM) that has taken initiative to actively contribute to enhancing the industry, while demonstrating support of IPC through participation in technical and/or management programs.

The IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award, bestowed on an individual in recognition of extraordinary contributions with broad significance to the electronic interconnection industry and distinguished service to IPC. This is the highest level of recognition IPC can give to a member.

The IPC Presidents Award, for individuals from IPC member companies who have demonstrated ongoing leadership in IPC and have made significant contributions of their time and talent to the association and the electronic interconnection industry.

Committee Leadership Awards are presented to committee chairs upon completion of a standard or specific program. Individuals may receive this award more than once. This award can also be bestowed to an outgoing chairman who has made contributions over a period of time.

Distinguished Committee Service (DCS) Awards, for committee members who have contributed to a specific standard or other IPC program through consistent participation or regular contributions and ballot submission, as well as having made a significant impact on a document or project.

Also, individuals or companies that have given exceptional service to an IPC program or to the industry are honored with the Special Recognition Award. Their activity can be short-term or a one-time event.

Awards will be presented at IPC Apex Expo the week of April 5 in Las Vegas.

Nominations must include the candidate’s name, contact information, and a statement describing his or her contribution(s), how he or she meets the criteria and why they deserve recognition.

For more information, visit www.ipc.org/awards. Self-nominations are accepted.

Send nominations to Awards@ipc.org by Jan. 28.

NANTOU, TAIWAN -- Universal Scientific Industrial, a top 25 global electronics manufacturing services provider, reported December revenues rose 30% year-over-year to NT$5.1 billion ($159.9 million).

WASHINGTON -- Later this year, the US Environmental Protection Agency says it will begin the process to convince users to voluntarily phase out the polybrominated diphenyl ether chemical known as decaPBDE.

EL SEGUNDO – The consumer electronics market continues to show improvement for 2009, increasing to $81.7 billion in the third quarter, up more than 11% sequentially, says iSuppli Corp.

EL SEGUNDO – Component inventories are at their leanest point in a decade, says iSuppli Corp. In fact, they are too lean, the research firm says.

Shrinking demand in the first half of 2009 prompted firms to slash production, capacity and utilization, and inventory; however, many firms cut too much and end the third quarter with stocks too low, according to the firm.

iSuppli makes its comparisons based on days of inventory.

As the year progressed, higher-than-expected revenue growth permitted manufacturers to increase utilization and stabilize ASPs.

In the fourth quarter, iSuppli does not see any indications of an inventory snapback; firms are planning a modest restocking of a few percentage points toward equilibrium.