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News

TAMPA, FL – Genesis Electronics Manufacturing Inc. announced the addition of another medical device customer to its base of electronics manufacturing clients.

A Genesis spokesperson declined to give financial or other specifics, citing a non-disclosure agreement. However, he said that on an annualized basis, the program would likely represent a 10% increase to incremental revenues. He further stated that Genesis is currently executing orders at the assembly level, and the company anticipates adding total box-build in November.

As an EMS supplier, Genesis attained ISO: 13485 certification in 2003. Since that time, the medical device market has become its fastest growing business segment, the company reported.

"Medical device customers account for about 28% of our manufacturing business," said president Scott Mauldin. "By year end we anticipate our medical customers will make up 30% of our manufacturing revenue.”

Genesis now has five medical customers for which it builds more than 100 different assemblies.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Since the start of 2006, awareness of GPS-based navigation technology has exploded into the public consciousness, moving rapidly from the “nice-to-have” to the “must-have” category, says iSuppli Corp.

The current star of the GPS market is the personal navigation device segment, which continues to develop rapidly as vendors cut prices to maintain their share of sales amid tough competition, the firm adds.

However, with PNDs now in the growth phase of their product lifecycle, prices have gone south, with the ASP falling 23% year-over-year in 2006, according to iSuppli. In spite of these dramatic price cuts, the revenue from PNDs is expected to increase by four-fold between 2006 and 2013, with manufacturers keen to get their hands on a $16.5 billion jackpot in 2013, the firm continues.

iSuppli estimates 40 companies now are offering GPS navigation capabilities on a range of products, from PNDs and embedded systems, to smart phones.

The navigation market used to be clearly segmented into two separate product families: embedded systems and PNDs.

The more costly embedded systems offer the benefits of integration with improved positional accuracy on a large dash-mounted display. PNDs offer most of the important navigation features on a device priced for the consumer mass market, iSuppli notes.

“The general interest in GPS solutions has created a third entrant in the market: the smart phone,” said Richard Robinson, principal analyst for automotive electronics at iSuppli. “Smart phones have the capability to offer wireless Internet connectivity, as well as improved positional accuracy in difficult geographic locations using Assisted-GPS.”

iSuppli expects shipments of GPS-enabled mobile handsets to reach 250 million units by 2010, up from more than 70 million units in 2006.

PHOENIX – Avnet Inc. announced it plans to acquire Berlin-based passive components distributor Betronik GmbH. No other terms were announced.

Betronik reported 2006 revenues of approximately $40 million. It employs about 80 people in its logistics center in Berlin, seven sales offices across Germany and one in France. The acquisition is subject to final approval by German antitrust authorities.

Betronik and French subsidiary DEL S.A. will be combined with Avnet Time in Germany and France, respectively. The newly formed business will operate within Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA under the Avnet Time brand.

As a result of the merger, Ingeborg and Horst Mergener, managing directors and founders of Betronik, will lead the sales organizations in Germany, reporting to Michael Danylow, president of Avnet Time.

ATLANTA – UP Media Group Inc., parent company of Circuits Assembly and Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture, has issued a call for abstracts for PCB East 2008, which will be held May 11-16 at the Holiday Inn Select and Convention Center in Tinley Park, IL.

STOCKHOLM – Note will acquire 50% of a Philippines-based Ionics EMS facility in China, the company said today. The deal is expected to be accretive to sales and earnings starting in 2008. No other financial terms were disclosed.

BEIJING – The China Communications Standards Association has created a task force to study an e-waste recycling standard and a mandatory standard for testing detrimental chemicals in electronic products.

The latter will require all electronics communications products manufactured in the region to be tested prior to being available, according to a ChinaTechNews.com report.

The standard will emulate WEEE and RoHS to help China firms maintain components that comply with EU policies, especially companies that export products to Europe.

The study team will help the association supervise environment testing capabilities in China.

BINGHAMTON, NY – The parent company of Universal Instruments and Vitronics Soltec named group chairman Jean-Luc Pelissier chief executive, effective Oct. 1.

ROME, NY – The ESD Association and Canada’s Automated Learning Corp. have announced a training course in electrostatic discharge control.

The course is intended for electronics manufacturers who require controls for ESD-sensitive components and assemblies, and can be custom-tailored to meet company-specific ESD control program needs.

ESDA Operator Training is reportedly the first computer-delivered ESD training to provide this content-tailoring feature.

While primarily intended for assembly operators and semiconductor technicians, this comprehensive ESD training course can benefit anyone involved in electronics manufacturing, the companies suggest.

The course features the ALC LearnTech computer-based training system that delivers course content over a corporate network and includes automated registration and record keeping.

For more information, visit http://www.automatedlearning.com/products/ESDAOperatorTraining.cfm.

TAIPEI – Arima Computer plans to sell its notebook PC and server operations to Flextronics for $191.5 million.

VANCOUVER, WA – Antares Advanced Test Technologies, a global supplier of integrated semiconductor test consumables, announced it has integrated the R&D, manufacturing and support operations of Antares conTech and UMD Advanced Test Technologies following the companies' merger in the third quarter of 2006.

Antares’ 11 acquisitions since 1988 have reportedly left the company the world's largest supplier of high-end semiconductor sockets and connectors and a global supplier of burn-in sockets, automated test equipment consumables and thermal management solutions.

SAN DIEGO – IBM executive Paul R. Brody will keynote the 11th Annual ESCA Conference and Expo, Oct. 29-31, in Santa Clara, CA.

Brody, partner at IBM Global Business Services and global lead, Electronics Industry Strategy Practice, will speak on optimization through collaboration, sharing insights on trends from both the supply side (cost, complexity, competition, commoditization) and the demand side (convergence, connectedness, consumerization, content) that are reshaping the electronics industry.

Also, Karen Butner, supply chain expert and member of the IBM Institute for Business Value, and Jane Barrett, research director and analyst with AMR Research’s Value Chain Strategies Service, will join others to guide an interactive session on Agility and the Globally Integrated Enterprise with a special look at strategies for Taming China's Dragons: When China is part of your supply chain.

For more information, visit www.electronicssupplychain.org.

DERBYSHIRE, UK – Electrochemical manufacturer Electrolube, a division of HK Wentworth Ltd., has received £1.1million in additional funding from Fortis, a large European financial institution.

Fortis provided the funds worth to HK Wentworth following the development of a five-year business plan, and has to date invested £2 million into the group.

The initial affiliation will run for two years, with the possibility of extension. Fortis’ investment is set to impact Electrolube’s international sales, technical support and research and development capability.