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News

IRVINE, CA -- Henkel was named a recipient of Intel Corp.’s Preferred Quality Supplier (PQS) award for outstanding performance in providing products and services deemed essential to Intel’s success.

The company was recognized for its efforts in supplying Intel with die attach adhesives and underfill materials.

Henkel and 43 additional PQS award winners were honored at a celebration in Burlingame, CA, on March 27.

BANNOCKBURN, IL -- For Apex and Los Angeles, it’s one and done.

The Apex/IPC Printed Circuits Expo trade show will relocate to Las Vegas in 2008, show producer IPC said Monday. In a letter to exhibitors, IPC said the combination of a 12% drop in attendance coupled with an apparent distaste for the Los Angeles Convention factored heavily into the decision. Attendees, said the group in a letter issued Monday to exhibitors, said, "Los Angeles was the number 1 problem over and over again. In short, the location was not a positive experience."

IPC said the show would move to Mandalay Bay, a prominent Las Vegas casino and convention center. The timing will also change. Traditionally a February show, the 2008 edition will take place April 1 to 3.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Global semiconductor revenue will rise to $281.4 billion in 2007, up 8.1% from $260.2 billion in 2006, according to a revised iSuppli forecast. iSuppli previously predicted 10.6% growth for 2007.

WASHINGTON, DC – AeA today released Cyberstates 2007: A Complete State-by-State Overview of the High-Technology Industry. The report shows that in 2006, the high-tech industry continued growing in the U.S., adding nearly 150,000 net jobs for a total of 5.8 million. This growth is faster than the 87,400 jobs added in 2005, says AeA. These two years of growth represent an increase of 4%. The report is based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

President and CEO of AeA, William T. Archey, reports, “The average tech industry wage is 86% more than the average U.S. private sector wage … in 48 cyberstates, the average high-tech wage is at least 50% more than the average private sector wage, and in 10 cyberstates this differential is [more than] 90%."

The unemployment rate for engineers in 2006 was below 2%.

The high-tech manufacturing industry added 5,100 net jobs last year. Software services and engineering and tech services employment were up for the third year in a row, increasing by 88,500 jobs and 66,300 jobs, respectively. Only the communications services industry continues to struggle, losing 13,300 net jobs in 2006, says the report.

California led the nation in net job creation, while Florida saw the second largest gain, adding 10,900 tech jobs in 2005. Florida was also the fastest growing state by rate of growth (+4.1%), followed by Virginia (+3.0%). Virginia surpassed Colorado to lead the nation with the highest concentration of tech industry workers as a percent of the private sector workforce (8.9%).

The report also found that, after dropping slightly in 2005, venture capital investment in the technology industry rose by $285 million, to $12.7 billion in 2006. R&D expenditures by high-tech companies jumped by 22% in 2004, the most recent data available, totaling $70.6 billion, a record-breaking amount of R&D.

SHANGHAI – Nepcon China, Shanghai’s largest electronics manufacturing trade show, offered some changes over 2006, but mostly more of the same.

On the plus side, attendance has been strong and steady. And next year’s show is reportedly already sold out. The downside is that there simply isn’t much in the way of new equipment or materials.

Attendance slowed Wednesday, the second day of the show, despite a noticeable uptick in the number of Westerners, observed CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY, the only U.S.-based publication here at the show this week.

ROME, NY – The Electrostatic Discharge Association has announced its annual $10,000 university research grant. Applicants may include any academic professor or researcher who wishes to conduct exploratory work in the field of ESD, including device/design, materials, test methods, or factory control methods. The grant is a one-year subsidy and will be announced in September.

The outcome of the research should advance the fundamental understanding of ESD knowledge. Researchers are required to first publish the outcome of the work at the ESD Symposium before submitting to any professional journal.

To apply, send an email to info@esda.org indicating you are applying for the research grant. A clear outline of the title, purpose, approach, and expected outcome of the work must be included. Applicants should include a 500-word summary on how the proposed work would advance the understanding of ESD. The summary should indicate how the research relates to the ESD Technology Roadmap (available at www.esda.org).

All applications must be received by June 30 to be considered.

CARLSBAD, CA – Asymtek is offering a conformal coating and jet-dispensing workshop on May 3 at the Doubletree Hotel in Orlando, FL. The workshop will focus on electronics assembly for military and industrial applications and will feature speakers from Dymax, Henkel, Humiseal, Lockheed Martin and Asymtek. Sessions will contain information on adhering to military specifications; applying conformal coating materials and chemistries; tin whiskers and how to avoid reliability risks, and non-contact fluid jetting technology for flip-chip and chip-scale package underfill. The free, all-day workshop will feature live video demonstrations.

For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.asymtek.com/news/seminars/orlando2007/.

TOKYO – Total consumer electronic shipments from Japanese manufacturers in 2006 were about $23.6 billion, representing a 7% growth compared to 2005, according to a recent report released by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association.

Shipments of AV equipment increased 10% year-over-year. The flat panel TV segment, especially large-size LCDs, led the industry relative to unit growth, increasing by 33% during 2006, says JEITA. Sales for LCD TVs larger than 37" grew by 130%, and sales of PDP TVs increased 60% during the same period. Panasonic is still increasing manufacturing capacities for PDP TVs, contrary to other major electronics manufacturers who shifted to LCD, says the report.

While automobile sales in Japan are flat, sales for vehicle electronics equipment is growing rapidly, reports the association; sales of high-end portable GPS systems for automobiles increased 44% year-over-year.

DVDs and related products declined 18% in 2006 compared to 2005, suggesting this segment’s sales may have peaked.

Overall, several market indexes measuring the electronics industry in Japan are indicating a downturn for the first quarter of 2007. While Japanese manufacturers in the electronics industry predict good financial performances for the fiscal year ending March 2007, they may not be too optimistic for the remainder of 2007, says JEITA.

BANGALURA, INDIA – India's semiconductor manufacturing policy has been announced, paving the way for India to make its mark on the global market. The Special Incentive Package Scheme focuses on attracting investments for setting up semiconductor plants and other technology manufacturing industries in the region. Semiconductor companies seeking incentives—20% of the capital expenditure during the first 10 years —will have to invest a minimum $550 million, according to the initiative.

MANILA – Integrated Microelectronics, Inc. has recently opened an office in Tokyo. IMI Japan, Inc. will serve as a marketing office to draw more outsourcing projects to the Philippines, where the company's main manufacturing site is located, IMI said.

In a statement, the EMS and ODM company said that its Japanese office would work with Japan-based OEMs and also serve as a front-end design and product development center. IMI Japan also will be the bridge between Japanese customers and the company’s engineering centers in Singapore, China and the United States.

The company reported Japan accounts for 53% of all its revenues.

ARLINGTON, VA – The Electronics Industries Alliance reports Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) introduced the Securing Knowledge Innovation and Leadership (SKIL) Bill on Wednesday. The legislation includes provisions crucial to companies in the U.S. information and communications technology industry that employ highly educated foreign professionals. An identical measure, S. 1083, was introduced last week by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

The EIA said Congress should reform the H-1B and employment-based visa programs this year to allow U.S. technology companies to hire the skilled workers they need to compete. The association urged lawmakers to make SKIL part of any comprehensive immigration reform package.

The SKIL Bill will raise the H-1B cap from 65,000 to 115,000; apply the current 20,000 cap exemption to those with a master's degree or higher from an institution of higher education in a foreign country, not just the U.S.; raise the limit on employment-based visas from 140,000 to 290,000 per year; extend post-degree employment for optional practical training to 24 months for all F visa students; create a new F-1 visa for students coming to pursue a U.S. STEM bachelor's or higher degree; create a pre-certification program to streamline the adjudication process for petitions for employers with a track record of compliance; and permit domestic visa revalidation/renewal.

In addition, U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) sponsored The High Tech Worker Relief Act to make more H-1B visas available in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 and exempt U.S. advanced degree holders from the cap.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Foxconn Electronics Inc. and Asustek Computer Inc. accounted for $18.5 billion—or 57%—of annual worldwide revenue among the Top-20 contract manufacturers in 2006, according to iSuppli Corp.

Concentration of revenue among the Top-10 EMS providers and ODMs accelerated at a faster-than-expected rate in 2006, says the firm. The Top-10 EMS providers alone controlled 70.4%, or $111 billion, of the $157 billion market in 2006. The Top-10 ODM providers controlled 72.8%, or $72.8 billion, of the $100 billion market.