STAMFORD, CT – Electronic equipment markets should begin a recovery in the fourth quarter of 2009, enabling the electronics industry to enter into a sustained recovery in the second half of 2010, with a reacceleration in sales in 2011, according to Gartner Inc.

ST. LOUIS – LaBarge Inc. has been awarded a $2.3 million contract from Northrop Grumman Corp. to continue to produce electronic equipment for the AN/AAQ-24(V) Directional Infrared Countermeasure system.

ESPOO, FINLAND – Nokia Siemens Networks has agreed to acquire certain assets from Nortel.

SAN JOSE – With 155 billion ICs produced, the value of the worldwide IC packaging market was $32.7 billion in 2008, reports Electronic Trend Publications.

BERLIN – The global semiconductor market is expected to decline 21.6% on an annualized basis to $194.8 billion in 2009, according to World Semiconductor Trade Statistics.

ST. PAUL, MN – SUSS MicroTec will distribute 3M’s wafer support system equipment for temporary wafer bonding of ultrathin wafers required for 3-D packaging.

DUBLIN, IRELAND -- US electronics connector sales reached $4.2 billion in 2008, a new research report claims.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Worldwide semiconductor revenue in the first quarter fell 33.8% year-over-year to $44.3 billion, according to research released yesterday. However, it could mark the bottom of the decline, iSuppli said.

SAN JOSE -- North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers reported the 90-day moving average orders rose 16% sequentially in to $288.5 million.

JACKSON, MI -- Sparton Corp. will relocate its headquarters to Schaumburg, IL, in October as part of its corporate restructuring.

SAN JOSE -- The SMTA and MEPTEC are collaborating on the 2009 Medical Electronics Symposia, to be held Sept. 16-17 in Tempe, AZ. 

WASHINGTON -- Calling innovation "endangered," the Consumer Electronics Association announced a plan to organize widespread Congressional lobbying to advance the interests of new technology.