SAN DIEGO – Pulse, a provider of electronic component and subassembly design and manufacturing, will increase prices at least 10% worldwide, the result of higher costs of sub-components, consumables, energy and labor.
Worldwide distribution prices were increased in July and direct customer notifications are underway, said the firm.
“We are not alone in experiencing severe cost pressures in manufacturing and in needing to raise prices,” said Dan Jackson, vice president of worldwide sales. “Government-mandated wage increases, rising supplier costs, and well-publicized high fuel prices can no longer be absorbed. In the interest of our stakeholders, we must increase prices just to keep pace."
TORONTO – EMS provider Celestica Inc. today announced second-quarter revenue was $1.88 billion, down about 3% year-over-year.
Net earnings were $39.8 million, compared to a net loss of $19.2 million for the same period last year.
For the first six months of 2008, revenue was $3.7 billion, compared to $3.78 billion for the same period in 2007. Net earnings were $69.6 million, compared to a net loss of $53.5 million last year.
“We continue to show improvements in operating margins and return on invested capital,” said Craig Muhlhauser, president and CEO of Celestica. “We are continuing to win new business across all of our key market segments.” He called end-market visibility “limited.”
For the third quarter, the company anticipates revenue in the range of $1.9 billion to $2.1 billion.
NEENAH, WI – EMS provider Plexus Corp. announced third-quarter revenue of $456 million, up about 17% year-over-year.
Gross profit for the period was $48.8 million, up about 21% compared to the same fiscal period in 2007.
For the nine-month period ended June 28, net sales were about $1.37 billion, up nearly 18% compared to the year-ago period. Gross profit was about $156 million, up nearly 30% year-over-year.
For the quarter, return on invested capital was 21%, and revenues exceeded company guidance.
In a press release, president and CEO Dean Foate said, “Sequentially strong performance in our Wireline/Networking and Medical sectors offset a modest decline in our Industrial/Commercial sector and an anticipated $26 million reduction in revenue from our large unnamed defense program.”
Excluding that defense program, revenue grew 7.3% sequentially.
The firm expects fourth-quarter revenue between $470 million and $490 million.
SAN JOSE – Flextronics today announced first-quarter record net sales of $8.4 billion, up 62% year-over-year. The results include the acquisition of Solectron, which Flextronics finalized during the third quarter last year.
Record adjusted operating profit for the period increased 83% compared to the same quarter last year, to $280 million.
Record adjusted net income was $227 million, up 69% year-over-year.
Flextronics said it would repurchase up to 10% of its outstanding ordinary shares, joining rivals Benchmark and Jabil in stock repurchases.
For the second quarter, revenue is expected to be in the range of $8.5 billion to $9 billion.
LAKE FOREST, CA – EMS firm Probe Manufacturing is adding design, manufacturing and marketing of proprietary renewable-energy products, including engine control units, converters and inverters.
The company’s OEM arm is the result of two years of investment in research and development efforts to design technologies and products aimed at customers seeking to reduce their energy use and environmental impact.
“We believe alternative energy and green technologies are going to be substantial growth markets in the 21st Century and we have been slowly moving the company in that direction,” Probe CEO Reza Zarif said. “Two major sectors in alternative energy are electricity generation and transportation; our research and development efforts have been focused on these two sectors.”
Probe remains committed to its contract electronics manufacturing business, Zarif said.
HELSINKI – Elcoteq today reported a second-quarter net loss of 12.8 million euros ($20.48 million) on a 6.6% drop in revenues, to 904.8 million euros ($1.45 billion).
SAN JOSE – The MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council announced its 3rd Annual Medical Electronics symposium – Technology Concepts Enabling Product Reality – at Arizona State University in Tempe on Sept 25.
The program is divided into the following areas: revolutionary concepts in medical electronics; advanced materials for medical electronics; key enabling technologies, and next-generation of bio-medical systems.
HERNDON, VA – “Environmental legislation is proliferating around the globe, and harmonization is essential. Equally important is the need for industry to coordinate its technical responses, and that requires a proactive approach.”
PALO ALTO, CA – Medical device equipment sales topped $1.25 billion in 2007 and are on track to reach $1.89 billion by 2014, research firm Frost & Sullivan reports.
High demand for reliable, flexible equipment from this market encourages SMT equipment manufacturers to develop higher-end machines, with accuracy, parts handling, and speed requirements at the forefront.
“Technology trends like remote patient monitoring and the incorporation of wireless technology in hospitals are expected to offer EMS providers an opportunity to utilize the experience gained from other conventional markets to provide suitable solutions for medical OEMs,” says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Julian Harris. “An increased supply of SMT equipment will ensue, elevating market growth.”
Though the medical device sector holds enormous potential, the FDA’s stringent regulatory standards deter many EMS companies from entering the market, which leads to a decline in overall machine sales, says the firm. However, increasing end-user need to comply with certifications such as ISO 13485 can help reverse the trend and accelerate demand for SMT equipment.
In response, advises Frost, SMT equipment manufacturers have to increase customer awareness on FDA regulatory standards and step up research and development initiatives with end-users. This enables penetration rates to attain new heights and help market revenue figures climb dramatically, according to Frost.
The decreasing size of medical PCBs remains another challenge for SMT equipment manufacturers. The highly complex nature of new package types and their fine-pitch components pushes manufacturers to integrate technologically advanced vision systems in their equipment. To meet end-user requirements for accurate placement and speed, manufacturers added dual camera heads and optimized illumination features to enhance value. These features will go a long way in reducing defects and enhancing the overall performance, says Frost.
“One primary focus is to modify the feeding capabilities and to correct solder misalignment with technological innovations in order to enhance the operational efficiency of the placement process,” notes Harris. “As top-tier placement equipment companies leverage this trend, other market participants will follow suit.”
Enhancements to the placement process offer manufacturers an edge, which allows effective customization of equipment per end-user requirements. Moving forward, manufacturers will provide both technologically innovative machine models, as well as service packages to ensure steady revenue growth. Sustained efforts through customer education, improved machine capabilities, as well as research and development are required to engender more efficient SMT placement processes and fuel revenue growth for SMT equipment suppliers in the medical market, says the firm.