Latest News
SMYRNA, GA -- Virtual PCB, the only online trade show for the electronics assembly market, opens today.
The free event features several top assembly equipment providers, including Assembleon, Agilent, Valor and BTU.
The free event features several top assembly equipment providers, including Assembleon, Agilent, Valor and BTU.
STAMFORD, CT — Worldwide vertical market IT spending is projected
to rise 0.5% year-over-year to $2.7 trillion in 2009, according to Gartner, Inc. Utilities, healthcare and government are
expected to be the strongest-growing segments of the market .
The firm blames the worldwide economic slowdown for the tepid growth. Says John-David Lovelock, research vice president for Gartner, “Internal spending, hardware and system integration in the financial sector were particularly hard-hit in 2008 and will continue suffering through 2009.”
The utilities industry is forecast to grow the most in 2009 - 2.9%. Smart grids and energy supplies are viewed as national and strategic issues in many countries, and spending on IT is a necessity. The healthcare industry is expected to post the second-highest increase, at 2.2%. Countries in which healthcare is primarily publicly funded will be sheltered from the worst of the economic turmoil, and governments tend to keep healthcare funding at least stable during the worst economic conditions, Gartner says.
Uncertainty about the depth and duration of the economic slowdown dominated the banking and investment sector in the last quarter of 2008. This uncertainty led to declines and postponements in IT spending at many large financial services companies, and this is expected to continue in 2009 as worldwide financial services IT spending is forecast to decline 0.7%. The US financial services sector is forecast to be hardest hit, however, major IT investments in less-affected countries such as Canada and Mexico and regions such as the Middle East and Africa will minimize the decline in the sector worldwide.
The firm blames the worldwide economic slowdown for the tepid growth. Says John-David Lovelock, research vice president for Gartner, “Internal spending, hardware and system integration in the financial sector were particularly hard-hit in 2008 and will continue suffering through 2009.”
The utilities industry is forecast to grow the most in 2009 - 2.9%. Smart grids and energy supplies are viewed as national and strategic issues in many countries, and spending on IT is a necessity. The healthcare industry is expected to post the second-highest increase, at 2.2%. Countries in which healthcare is primarily publicly funded will be sheltered from the worst of the economic turmoil, and governments tend to keep healthcare funding at least stable during the worst economic conditions, Gartner says.
Uncertainty about the depth and duration of the economic slowdown dominated the banking and investment sector in the last quarter of 2008. This uncertainty led to declines and postponements in IT spending at many large financial services companies, and this is expected to continue in 2009 as worldwide financial services IT spending is forecast to decline 0.7%. The US financial services sector is forecast to be hardest hit, however, major IT investments in less-affected countries such as Canada and Mexico and regions such as the Middle East and Africa will minimize the decline in the sector worldwide.
MACAO, CHINA -- Nam Tai Electronics will attempt to privatize its Hong Kong
Stock Exchange-listed subsidiary for about $43 million in cash.
Nam Tai, the world's 17th largest EMS comnpany, has a 74.9% stake in the subsidiary, Nam Tai Electronic & Electrical Products Ltd.
The offer is contingent of at least 90% acceptance of outstanding (non Nam Tai-owned) shares. It is expected that the results will be known and released in April.
Nam Tai, the world's 17th largest EMS comnpany, has a 74.9% stake in the subsidiary, Nam Tai Electronic & Electrical Products Ltd.
The offer is contingent of at least 90% acceptance of outstanding (non Nam Tai-owned) shares. It is expected that the results will be known and released in April.
NEW YORK -- A Morgan Stanley analyst cuts her forecast for PC sales and shipments for 2009 and 2010, citing weak demand and price-undercutting by low-cost netbooks.
In a research note today, Kathryn Huberty forecast global PC revenues would drop 24% this year, more than double her earlier estimate of a 10% drop. Shipments will fall 11%, she wrote, and ASPs will drop 15%.
She also revised her 2010 forecast to a 3% revenue drop, from flat, despite 2% shipment growth.
Netbooks, Huberty says, are cannibalizing traditional notebook sales, taking a 20% share (22 million units) in 2009. Netbook production will rise 41% to 31 million units in 2010, she said. Netbooks are typically priced at no more than half the cost of a traditional notebook.
VELDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS -- Assembléon will continue to market and sell Yamaha's placement machines globally, extending the long-running partnership to 20 years. The latest deal broadens the agreement to give Assembléon global dealership for Yamaha machines
outside Asia to include other assembly process equipment.
LITTLETON, MA – Bureau Veritas Consumer Products Services will relocate to a new facility here in late March.
The 60,000 sq. ft. test center is three times the size of its existing building, and reportedly the largest comparable electronics test laboratory in the eastern US.
It is outfitted with test equipment for assessing and certifying virtually all electronics, such as wireless devices, telecommunications equipment, computers, servers, laboratory instruments, medical devices and consumer electronics.
The company employs 60 workers in Littleton.
The 60,000 sq. ft. test center is three times the size of its existing building, and reportedly the largest comparable electronics test laboratory in the eastern US.
It is outfitted with test equipment for assessing and certifying virtually all electronics, such as wireless devices, telecommunications equipment, computers, servers, laboratory instruments, medical devices and consumer electronics.
The company employs 60 workers in Littleton.
CARLSBAD, CA – YesTech, a supplier of automated optical and x-ray inspection systems, has moved into Asymtek’s site in Carlsbad, CA.
Both companies are subsidiaries of Nordson Corp.
The 123,000 sq. ft. facility serves as both companies’ corporate headquarters and main manufacturing site, offering technical services, sales and customer support, dem labs and customer training.
Both companies are subsidiaries of Nordson Corp.
The 123,000 sq. ft. facility serves as both companies’ corporate headquarters and main manufacturing site, offering technical services, sales and customer support, dem labs and customer training.
The facility also provides YesTech with expanded manufacturing capabilities.
EL SEGUNDO, CA – Global shipments of displays for mobile handsets are expected to decline more than 6% in 2009 and remain flat in 2010, as worsening economic conditions continue to impact the wireless industry, says iSuppli Corp.
iSuppli forecasts the mobile handset display market will decline to 1.5 billion units in 2009, down 6.2% year-over-year. Shipments will rise by a marginal 0.3% in 2010. The market won’t recover to exceed the 2008 level until 2011, when shipments will reach 1.65 billion units.
“The handset display market already was struggling in 2008 due to declining average selling prices and dwindling margins,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for mobile displays at iSuppli. “However, the downturn now is beginning to impact unit shipments, leading to revenue declines for the industry this year and next.
“The decreasing replacement rate for handsets due to deteriorating economic conditions will be the main cause for the market downturn. New handset demand from the emerging countries will not be sufficient to offset this decline.”
Beyond the slowdown, a major buildup in inventories of finished handsets will make the decline more severe in the beginning, says the firm. Indications of an inventory correction already had a major impact on the industry in the fourth quarter.
In response to this, handset display shipments from the top suppliers declined more than 40% sequentially in the fourth quarter.
During the current quarter, demand is expected to shore up slightly because of demand associated with the Chinese New Year, driven by domestic Chinese handset makers and the top-tier cellphone brands, according to iSuppli.
The mobile handset market has been characterized by declining display prices over the last few years. This mainly has been a result of the expansion of TFT-LCD capacity, as new investment has enabled newer generation fabs to meet the expanding demand for monitors, notebooks and LCD TVs.
Despite the economic slowdown, mobile-display panel pricing for all screen sizes and technologies is expected to maintain its historical annual decline rate of 15% to 20% this year. iSuppli believes the ASP decline in 2009 won’t be as severe as it was in 2008 for some specific panel types. Most suppliers have implemented capacity cuts and reduced their fab utilization rates in response to the slowing demand. This will help mitigate some of the more precipitous declines in prices, says the firm.
Despite decreases in pricing and declines in shipments, it is unlikely that top-tier customers will have difficulties procuring panels in 2009. With the current cuts in capacity utilization, the level of oversupply in the small/medium TFT-LCD industry may shrink, but it is doubtful any shortages will occur. When suppliers see orders increasing, they can ramp up production again easily.
iSuppli forecasts the mobile handset display market will decline to 1.5 billion units in 2009, down 6.2% year-over-year. Shipments will rise by a marginal 0.3% in 2010. The market won’t recover to exceed the 2008 level until 2011, when shipments will reach 1.65 billion units.
“The handset display market already was struggling in 2008 due to declining average selling prices and dwindling margins,” said Vinita Jakhanwal, principal analyst for mobile displays at iSuppli. “However, the downturn now is beginning to impact unit shipments, leading to revenue declines for the industry this year and next.
“The decreasing replacement rate for handsets due to deteriorating economic conditions will be the main cause for the market downturn. New handset demand from the emerging countries will not be sufficient to offset this decline.”
Beyond the slowdown, a major buildup in inventories of finished handsets will make the decline more severe in the beginning, says the firm. Indications of an inventory correction already had a major impact on the industry in the fourth quarter.
In response to this, handset display shipments from the top suppliers declined more than 40% sequentially in the fourth quarter.
During the current quarter, demand is expected to shore up slightly because of demand associated with the Chinese New Year, driven by domestic Chinese handset makers and the top-tier cellphone brands, according to iSuppli.
The mobile handset market has been characterized by declining display prices over the last few years. This mainly has been a result of the expansion of TFT-LCD capacity, as new investment has enabled newer generation fabs to meet the expanding demand for monitors, notebooks and LCD TVs.
Despite the economic slowdown, mobile-display panel pricing for all screen sizes and technologies is expected to maintain its historical annual decline rate of 15% to 20% this year. iSuppli believes the ASP decline in 2009 won’t be as severe as it was in 2008 for some specific panel types. Most suppliers have implemented capacity cuts and reduced their fab utilization rates in response to the slowing demand. This will help mitigate some of the more precipitous declines in prices, says the firm.
Despite decreases in pricing and declines in shipments, it is unlikely that top-tier customers will have difficulties procuring panels in 2009. With the current cuts in capacity utilization, the level of oversupply in the small/medium TFT-LCD industry may shrink, but it is doubtful any shortages will occur. When suppliers see orders increasing, they can ramp up production again easily.
It won’t be an easy 2009 for small/medium TFT-LCD mobile handset display suppliers, and 2010 will be only marginally better. However, if the suppliers can withstand the price cuts, volume reductions and capacity utilization drops, they should be positioned for a turnaround in 2011, iSuppli believes.
SANTA ANA, CA – Christopher Associates has agreed to distribute advanced manufacturing equipment and technology developed by China-based Orient Science & Technology for the manufacture and testing of solar modules.
Orient is a Chinese manufacturer of solar module manufacturing and test equipment with more than 50 site installations globally.
Christopher Associates is a sales, distribution and engineering company serving the electronics and solar industries.
BRUSSELS -- Intel today said it has filed a statement of objections to the European Commission' antitrust charges.
WUHAN, CHINA -- Foxconn Technology Group's (Hon Hai) large H-P program win could mean a major expansion for its plant here, with up to 10,000 new hires this year alone, according to published reports.
PALO ALTO, CA -- Hewlett-Packard, the world's leading PC maker, and Foxconn (Hon Hai) reportedly will invest $60 million toward a PC manufacturing site in Turkey.
The program will ultimately employ around 2,000 workers.
The units will be sold in Turkey and the Middle East, the reports said.
The program will ultimately employ around 2,000 workers.
The units will be sold in Turkey and the Middle East, the reports said.
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