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News

BANNOCKBURN, IL – February PCB shipments among North American fabricators fell 0.3% and bookings jumped 15.4% year-over-year, IPC reported today. Year-to-date, combined industry shipments are up 1.8%, while bookings are up 13.3%. Sequentially, combined industry shipments for the month were up 3% and bookings were up 21%.

The book-to-bill moved up to 0.99, meaning that for every $100 boards sold, $99 in orders were received.

Rigid PCB bookings were up 15.6% and shipments were down 0.7% year-over-year, IPC said. Year to-date, rigid PCB shipments are up 2.3% and bookings are up 14.7%. Sequentially, rigid PCB shipments increased 1.7% and rigid bookings increased 20.6%.

The rigid book-to-bill ratio crept up to 0.99, said IPC.

Flexible circuit shipments in February were up 5.9% and bookings were up 12.4% compared to the same month last year. Year to-date, flex circuit shipments are down 6.2% and bookings are off 5.1%. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments were up 25.3% and flex bookings rose 27.7%.

The flex book-to-bill ratio held steady at 0.96.

ALAMEDA, CA – Technology Forecasters announced the agenda for its Quarterly Forum to be held in Tempe, AZ, April 23 and 24.

Agenda highlights include electronic manufacturing in Vietnam; five-year outsourcing forecast; industry executive panel discussion; the changing landscape of outsourcing, and profitable environmental strategies.

The gathering provides electronics industry executives from member companies with industry market data and forecasts, and the opportunity to discuss trends and issues with TFI consultants and industry peers.

Jabil, SAP America and Avnet Inc. are sponsoring the day-and-a-half event, which includes panel discussions and breakout working sessions.

For more information, contact Diane Krandel at dkrandel@techforecasters.com.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Jabil Circuit reported second-quarter net income dropped 273% to a loss of $24 million year-over-year. The EMS company was hit hard by a $42 million restructuring charge.

SCHAUMBURG, IL – Motorola Inc. will separate its struggling handset business from other operations, forming two separate publicly traded companies. The company said the handset business will make up one unit, while home and networks products, and enterprise mobility solutions will be bundled into a separate business. Pending shareholder approval, the moves would take place next year.

SMYRNA, GA – UP Media Group Inc. seeks abstracts for PCB West 2008, which will be held Sept. 14-19 in Santa Clara, CA.

PCB West annually provides attendees and vendors with a conference and exhibition focused on the design and manufacture of PCBs, high density interconnect and other advanced circuits.

Printed Circuit Design & Fab and Circuits Assembly magazines are sponsoring the event.

The five-day conference program focuses on PCB engineering, design and fabrication. The conference is comprised of a 3-Day Technical Conference and a Professional Development Certificate program of one-day and two-day courses.

PCB West 2008 also includes a two-day exhibition of top industry vendors to be held on Sept. 16-17.

Papers and presentations of the following durations are sought for the 3-Day Technical Conference:

30-minute paper sessions

One-hour lectures, presentations or panel sessions

Two-hour workshops or panel sessions

Half-day (3.5 hour) seminars

Papers and presentations of the following durations are sought for a Professional Development Certificate program of in-depth courses:

One-day tutorials (7 hours of instruction)

Two-day tutorials (14 hours of instruction)

For consideration, please submit all abstracts by April 17 via the online form at: http://www.pcbwest.com/speakers/abstract.shtml or e-mail course titles, suggested course length, the target audience, short course abstract(s) and speaker bio(s) to Ronda Faries (rfaries@upmediagroup.com).

Papers and presentations must be noncommercial in nature and should focus on technology, techniques or methodology rather than on a company’s specific products.

If selected for PCB West 2008, final papers and presentations will be due in May.

Suggested paper and presentation topics include (but are not limited to):

High speed, high frequency and signal integrity

Component placement

EMI/EMC analysis

Thermal analysis

Lead-free processes (especially how they affect design and fabrication)

RF and microwave design

Packaging design

Mixed-signal design

Area arrays

FPGA design and implementation

Embedded passives and active devices

Flexible circuitry

HDI design and technologies

PCB design/layout basics

Component library creation and management

Design for manufacture, test and assembly

Design (including analog, digital and power supplies

PCB fabrication

Soldering

Surface finishes

Industry forecasts

Business and design/supply chain issues

For more information visit www.pcbwest.com.

BLAUBEUREN-SEISSEN, GERMANY – Rehm Thermal Systems named Marc Dalderup chief commercial officer soldering systems supplier. He has spent 25 years in the global soldering market, working for Soltec BV, Cobar Soldering Materials and most recently as vice president of sales at Vitronics Soltec.

At Rehm he will be responsible for building and management of global sales structures, marketing and account management.

General sales manager Henning Obloch will be promoted to VP Sales Europe.

REDMOND, WA – Data I/O Corp. has sold selected patents and patent applications to Leannoux Properties for approximately $3.3 million. The company expects to report a net gain of $2.1 million.

The patents and patent applications sold related primarily to technology used in Data I/O ProLINE-RoadRunner product line. As part of the deal, Data I/O retains a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to use the technology.

Additional payments are due to Data I/O upon license or transfer of the proposed patents and patent applications to certain third parties. However, Data I/O said it does not anticipate any payments.

Most of the patents sold relate to technology the company has been practicing for years, and does not include technology related to its most recent development programs.

HANOI – Nepcon Vietnam takes place May 8-10 with an expected 500 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors.

Conference organizer Reed Tradex also produces shows in China, India, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the UK and the US.

MEUNG-SUR-LOIRE, FRANCE -- About 300 workers at Jabil Circuit's facility here are on strike over wage hike demands.

WASHINGTON – National Association of Manufacturers president John Engler today called on Congress to consider the US–Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement. In a statement, Engler said, "We dare not let election-year political posturing to compromise our commitment to free trade. The US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement will expand US manufacturing exports, create good jobs and keep our economy growing.

MUNICH – The top executive of Siemens’s Electronics Assembly Systems today said the business unit welcomes the greater “freedom and opportunities” ahead as it is divested from its longtime corporate parent.

Siemens today officially acknowledged the unit would be transferred into a wholly owned, independent subsidiary by September, the end of the company’s fiscal year.

The move, the company said, could open the door to a joint venture with other electronics companies, a sale or a spinoff.

In a press release, EAS CEO Guenter Lauber said, “An independent EA opens the door to great opportunities for the entire Siplace team. As a business unit of Siemens AG, we had to integrate ourselves into the overall structure, processes and procedures of a large company. The new constellation provides us with more freedom and more opportunities and will enable us to tackle many improvements that had originally been scheduled for the coming years in order to prepare ourselves for the future and the global market.”

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COLUMBUS, OH – Dr. Jennie Hwang tomorrow will keynote a special program celebrating Women’s History Month.

The program is sponsored by the US Department of Defense Supply Center, Federal Women's Program. The theme of the program is Women's Art, Women's Vision.

Dr. Hwang is a well-known industry inventor, lecturer and author.