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ST. LOUIS -- EMS provider LaBarge reported December quarter net sales rose 2% year-over-year to $68.2 million. Net earnings declined to $249,000, from $3.4 million last year, on a writedown of inventory and debts from a large customer.

ZALAEGERSZEG, HUNGARY – Flextronics will sack 400 workers from its plant here by the end of March, according to published reports. The cuts will bring the total number of recent layoffs to 1,400, including contract workers, Zalai HÃrlap reports.

The news daily quoted Flextronics spokesman MÃ¡rk HetÃ©nyi as citing a sharp decline in orders.

The cuts include 130 staff in operations and 270 administrative workers.

The site employs 3,700 workers, not including 1,500 to 1,800 contract laborers, the news daily reported.

TAIPEI -- Worldwide shipments of netbooks are expected snare a 17.2% share of the overall notebook PC market in 2009, according to a new research report.

Netbook OEMs shipped 14.6 million units in 2008, a number that's expected to climb to 26.3 million units this year, research firm Displaybank asserts.

Asustek Computer and Acer own the lion's share of the market, with more than 70% of shipments in 2008, the firm said. The top five makers of netbooks are Acer (37.2%), Asus (33.2%), HP (7.5%), MSI (4.8%) and Intel (2.2%).

NEW YORK – Cisco’s lower guidance suggests lower sales for its top EMS suppliers, including Jabil, Celestica, Flextronics and Sanmina-SCI, an industry analyst said yesterday.

ANGLETON, TX – Benchmark Electronics reported sales fell 21% year-over-year to $582 million for the quarter ended Dec. 31.

MILPITAS, CA – JDS Uniphase has signed a definitive agreement to sell certain manufacturing and other assets in Shenzhen to Sanmina-SCI. No financial terms were disclosed.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sanmina-SCI will acquire the plants, inventories and employees.

The transaction is expected to close before April 6, pending customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

Sanmina-SCI will provide services back to JDSU for an unspecified period.

“Further OEM outsourcing is typical after a downturn,” said analyst Sherri Scribner of Deutsche Bank Equity Research, pointing to the tech recession in 2001. “While asset purchases are not uncommon in the EMS industry, we view them as non-optimal, as they are often a way for OEMs to offload underperforming facilities. The end result is often lower utilization and ROIC for EMS companies.

“We expect additional outsourcing opportunities to emerge as the current downturn winds down,” she added. “That said, further OEM pull-ins of manufacturing to internal factories are still more likely over the next six to nine months, as evidenced by Nokia's decision to reduce its reliance on EMS suppliers.”

SAN JOSE –Sanmina-SCI said in an SEC filing today that CFO David L. White has resigned. No reason for his resignation was given.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA – Aqueous Technologies Corp. has acquired all marketing, sales/distribution and service rights for the MicroJet family of conveyorized (inline) defluxing systems manufactured by Burnet, TX-based Austin American Technology, effective immediately.

Aqueous is now the exclusive worldwide distributor of MicroJet, MicroJet EC, and MicroJet FC inline defluxing systems.

Under the multi-year agreement, AAT will no longer manufacture inline defluxing systems for public sale.

No financial terms of the agreement were disclosed.

TOKYO – Seven of Japan's top electronics manufacturers will post losses for the fiscal year ending in March, says EE Times.

Hitachi Ltd., Panasonic Corp., Sony Corp., Toshiba Corp., Fujitsu Ltd., NEC Corp. and Sharp Corp. are expected to have combined net losses of $22.3 billion.

ISTANBUL – Essemtec Switzerland has signed a distribution contract for Turkey with Sinerji of Istanbul.

Sinerji provides a local show and training room for machine demonstration and evaluation, and countrywide sales, support and service.

The firm also will support installed Essemtec equipment, including automatic machines for SMD manufacturing.

Essemtec develops, fabricates, and distributes equipment for all processes of electronics manufacturing: printers, dispensers, pick-and-place and solder systems.

Sinerji has many years’ experience in SMT.

No financial terms were disclosed. The agreement is effective this past Jan. 1.

STAMFORD, CT – Western Europe’s personal computer sales were 20.1 million units in the fourth quarter of 2008, up 12% year-over-year, according to Gartner Inc.

"If it wasn't for mini-notebooks, the overall Western European market would be showing a decline. This does not bode well for 2009, as we expect the general economic conditions to worsen," said Ranjit Atwal, principal analyst at the research firm.

Hewlett-Packard and Acer, leaders in the area, boasted shares of 23.2% and 20.3%, respectively, with Dell holding 10.1% of the market, says Gartner.

ASUS and Toshiba held 7.4% and 6.4% market share, respectively.

PC shipments grew 17.2% in the region last year compared to 2007, reaching 66 million units.

MADISON, AL – STI Electronics Inc. will distribute the complete AIM line of electronic solders and chemicals throughout the Southeast.

No financial terms were disclosed.

STI offers a complementary product line and a variety of training services.

Headquartered in Montreal, AIM manufactures assembly materials, producing solder paste, liquid flux, cored wire, bar solder, adhesives, preforms, and specialty.