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LONDON -- September sales of semiconductors rose 20% worldwide sequentially to $24 billion in the third quarter.

TORRANCE, CA — Seika Machinery has developed an application for the recovery of data and removal of moisture from cellphones submerged in water.

WASHINGTON -- New orders for manufactured goods rose in September for the fifth time in six months, increasing 0.9%
to $356.1 billion, the US Census Bureau reported today. Durables orders were up 1.4% sequentially.

WASHINGTON – The US International Trade Commission said it would review a judge’s final initial determination issued Aug. 28, in which no violations of certain Tessera patents were found.

The complaint, which Tessera initially filed in January 2008, alleges violations against its patents involving importation of certain semiconductors of minimal package size.

The complaint originally named 18 respondents. The following remain in the investigation: Acer and Acer America; Centon Electronics; Elpida Memory and Elpida Memory (USA); Kingston Technology; Nanya Technology and Nanya Technology Corp. USA; Powerchip Semiconductor; ProMOS Technologies; Ramaxel Technology; Smart Modular Technologies.

The parties are requested to brief their positions on the issues under review; the commission is interested in receiving written submissions that address the form of remedy, if any, that should be ordered.

Written submissions and proposed remedial orders are requested by Nov. 13.

SAN JOSE – Third-quarter worldwide semiconductor sales were $61.9 billion, up 19.7% sequentially, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported today. Sales were down 10.1% year-over-year.

September sales were $20.1 billion, up 8.2% from August.

“Global semiconductor sales in the third quarter were above expectations,” said SIA President George Scalise. “September sales were in line with historical patterns, reflecting increased demand from end-users as they began the build for the holiday season. Unit sales of personal computers and cell phones – the two largest demand drivers for semiconductors – continue to run ahead of earlier forecasts. Meanwhile, demand for semiconductors for industrial applications – a sector that had declined sharply – showed initial signs of recovery. Sales increased in all geographic regions.

“Amid signs that we are in the early stages of recovery in the global economy, semiconductor sales continue to reflect normal seasonal patterns. Sales are running well ahead of the worst-case scenarios projected early in the year, and we are optimistic that total sales for 2009 will be better than our mid-year forecast,” Scalise concluded.

SHENZHEN -- Nam Tai Electronics reported third-quarter sales fell 31.2% to $110.4 million on slower demand for consumer electronics and telecom equipment.

NEW YORK -- The US manufacturing sector grew in October for the third consecutive month and at a faster rate than expected, according to an industry report released today.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PWB shipments in September were up 21.8% sequentially, while orders increased 31%.

PWB shipments decreased 14.3% year-over-year, while orders dropped 6.4%.

Year to date through September, shipments were down 25.5%, and orders fell 23.4%.

The book-to-bill ratio reached 1.08, up 1 basis point from August. It was the fifth straight month the ratio topped 1.0, the benchmark for a market on the rise.

For the month, rigid PWB shipments declined 15.9% and orders fell 7.8% year-over-year. Year to date, rigid shipments were down 27.3%, while orders dropped 24.7%. Sequentially, rigid shipments grew 21.7%, and orders increased 29.7%. The rigid book-to-bill ratio was flat at 1.09.

Flex shipments in September rose 7.9%, while orders increased 12.1% compared to September 2008. Year to date, flex shipments were down 1.5%, and orders were down 4.9%. Sequentially, flex shipments went up 22%, and orders increased 48.1%. The flex book-to-bill climbed three basis points to 0.95.

A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to six months. A ratio of 1.08 means that for every $100 worth of boards shipped, $108 worth of orders were placed.

In September, 84% of total shipments reported were domestically produced. The remainder were likely built offshore and resold by domestic fabricators.

MILPITAS, CA – Bliss Industries, an OEM of material handling carts and racks for PCB assembly, will holding a new product webinar next week.

Bliss is preparing to launch several products and seeks feedback from users. The firm is offering customers the chance to preview products on Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. PST.

Attendees will receive a 5% discount on any products shown.

For more information, contact Shana Bliss at sbliss@blissindustries.com.

SAN JOSE – The Microelectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council has finalized the program for its Semiconductor to Solar: Growth Opportunities for the IC Industry symposium, to be held Nov. 19 in Santa Clara, CA.

Steve Hill, president of Kyocera Solar Inc., will keynote with creating new markets: a global solar outlook.

Other presentations include solar PV manufacturing and processing challenges and opportunities from an equipment maker's perspective; a contamination reduction program for improving materials, process tools, manufacturing environment and clean manufacturing; the PV solar market – eclipsed by the financial crisis; solar scaling up – a dynamic industry's growth; accelerating silicon-photovoltaics technology adoption through a new business model; understanding solar performance and degradation; utilization of new semiconductor materials for solar power conversion; a journey from semiconductor to solar: SolarMagic technology; reliability challenges for solar photovoltaics and opportunities for semiconductors; the heart of PV collaboration – PV group: increasing the power of PV via standards, roadmaps, EHS, and partnerships; taking solar energy mainstream: how public policy drives the PV market, and impact of solar panel interconnects on long-term reliability and economics

To register, visit www.meptec.org.