SUNNYVALE, CA – Chief technology officer Phil Hester of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is leaving the semiconductor giant today, according to published reports.

ATLANTA – Mentor Graphics and UP Media Group, parent company of Circuits Assembly and Printed Circuit Design & Fab, will present a free Webinar – Add Mixed Technology, Including RF, to Your PCB Design in Half the Time – on April 29 at 2 p.m. EST.   

This event, the second in a series, will present innovative tools and methodologies to dramatically cut design time, improve product performance, and lead to better quality PCBs containing mixed technology, including RF circuits.

You will learn how this technology cuts development time when designing with mixed technologies; how to improve product performance even with complex designs, and how globally dispersed designers can work on the large RF boards in parallel.

This series addresses how to efficiently design today's increasingly complex PCBs. All events will be recorded for on-demand viewing.

To register: Mentor Webinar 

Coming June 22: Design for Performance

BEAVERTON, OR – PCB manufacturer Merix Corp. reported a loss from continuing operations of $12.5 million on revenue of $94.3 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2008, compared to income of $1.8 million on revenue of $100.3 million in the same period of 2007.

TAIPEI – Delta Electronics Inc. announced its consolidated sales revenues for March totaled approximately $395 million, up 31% sequentially, and up 16% year-over-year.

NEENAH, WI — Plexus Corp. announced today it will move its corporate headquarters to a new $18 million office building in downtown Neenah, WI.

The four-story, 94,000 sq.-ft. building will bring 325 employees into the city’s business district, Plexus says.

Chicago-based commercial developer, Opus North Corp., will lease the building to Plexus, according to a published report.

Construction is set to begin in October, with Plexus moving in the fall of 2009.

The office is expected to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards.

On the outside, for example, where I was once something of an oddity – while walking the Bund, Chinese nationals would approach to touch my hair – Westerners are everywhere today. Indeed, English signage is so rampant, I joked with local friends that while they may end up with all our manufacturing, they’ll also end up with our language. (They don’t think that’s very funny.)

BLAUBEUREN-SEISSEN, GERMANY – Rehm Thermal Systems in April opened a subsidiary in Dongguan, China, to provide direct manufacturing, sales and support in China. The 3,000 sq. meter facility houses 100 employees, bringing the company's total to 450.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Global electronics sales will grow 5.9% this year, down from 7% in 2007, according to iSuppli.

BRIDGEWATER, MA – Global manufacturer Chase Corp. reported net income of $1.87 million for the second quarter, up 36% year-over-year.

Revenues of $28.2 million for the quarter increased 3% compared to 2007.

For the six months ended Feb. 29, revenues increased 7% to $62.9 million compared to the same period last year. Net income was $5.34 million, up from $3.9 million year-over-year.

The company’s EMS segment had revenues of $4 million, down nearly 17% compared to the same period last year. Revenues for the six-month period ended Feb. 29 were $9.1 million and in line with the prior year period, Chase said.

TORONTO – Adeptron Technologies Corp. appointed Mark Kohler chief financial officer, effective today.

Kohler has more than 20 years’ experience in the technology sector, including most recently as CFO for TSX-listed companies.

WASHINGTON, DC – AeA reports that in 2007, the high-tech industry continued growing, adding 91,400 net jobs for a total of 5.9 million in the U.S. This is on top of job gains of 139,000 in 2006 and 87,400 in 2005.