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News

SAN JOSE – Global sales of semiconductors reached a record $247.7 billion in 2006, up 8.9%, The Semiconductor Industry Association reported today. December sales were up 9% to $21.7 billion.

The trade group reiterated its 2007 forecast of 10% growth.

TORONTO -- Celestica Inc. today promoted its top executive in Asia, while cutting ties with several other longtime employees amid a top-level management shakeup.

The company named president of Asia Operations, John Peri, its executive vice president of global operations, succeeding Jim Rowan, who has left the company effective immediately. Guy Delisle was hired to run Celestica's operations in Monterrey, Mexico, the scene of several operational miscues. Delisle was with Sanmina-SCI.

Chief technology officer Dan Shea is retiring, the company said.

HOUSTON - BPM Microsystems announced that, with the release of BPWin 4.65.0, it now supports more than 25,000 devices. The company’s device part number library is a culmination of relationships with more than 156 semiconductor manufacturers worldwide, and more than 20 years’ experience in the programming equipment industry, the company said in a press statement. The device part number database is available at www.bpmmicro.com. Additional support for devices is added daily through a software download available from the company’s Web site.

LOS ANGELES – IPC is offering free parking vouchers and train passes for residents of Southern California attending the Apex show later this month. Contact IPC (shows@ipc.org) by Feb. 5 for a free one-day Metro pass. The Metro Rail Blue Line connects with all Metro Rail and Metro Link lines at Union Station and stops directly across from the LA Convention Center, where Apex will be held. Free parking vouchers may be downloaded at www.GoIPCShows.org/parkingvoucher. For maps and directions, please visit www.GoIPCShows.org/travel.

BASEL, SWITZERLAND – Ciba Specialty Chemicals and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland will collaborate on organic electronics research, the companies jointly announced. The two-year multidisciplinary project focuses on the development of novel materials and processes for printing organic electronics and aims to open up new application areas. Tekes will provide funding for the collaboration. Ciba will bring decades of materials knowledge to the research, while VTT makes roll-to-roll process developers for printed electronics.

SAN JOSE – Tessera Technologies announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Eyesquad for $18 million in cash. Eyesquad develops and designs digital auto-focus and optical zoom products for camera phones and other products that integrate cameras. Under the terms of the agreement, Tessera will pay about $18 million in cash for all outstanding Eyesquad equity. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2007.

AMSTERDAM - Sony Ericsson will move some handset production to India, where it will be built by Flextronics and Foxconn, the company said today.

The world's fourth largest handset maker said in a statement, "In addition to competitive pricing, these phones will offer customised features for the Indian market, such as local content and customized keypads."

The Indian cellphone market is expected to hit 10 million units by 2009. Sony Ericsson phones sold about 75 million units in 2006.

Sony Ericsson is a five-year-old JV between Sony Corp. and Ericsson.

TORONTO -- Celestica Inc. today announced its fourth-quarter net loss widened to $60.8 million on a 9% revenue gain to $2.26 billion. The company announced another round of restructuring, which will result $60 million to $80 million more in charges.

For the quarter ended Dec. 31, the GAAP net loss included a $30 million charge for inventory provisions at its Monterrey, Mexico, facility; and a $59 million restructuring charge. The GAAP net loss last year was $28.2 million, including $57 million in restructuring charges.

MINNEAPOLIS – SMTA repeated its call for abstracts for the SMTA International conference. The deadline for abstracts is Feb. 16. Abstract may be submitted at www.smta.org/smtai/call_for_papers.cfm.

The conference takes place Oct. 7-11 in Orlando.

Papers should describe significant results from experiments, emphasize new techniques, and contain technical, economic or appropriate test data. Material should be original, unpublished and noncommercial.

Papers are being solicited in the following categories: emerging technologies/hot topics; components; assembly; PCB technology; process control, and business.

LONDON – The UK Environment Agency formally approved a Producer Compliance Scheme offered by Environ, a UK-based consulting group, the company said today.

“We are delighted to have received our formal approval documents from the Environment Agency today,” said Dr. Aidan Turnbull, Head of WEEE, RoHS and Eco-Design at Environ.

UK WEEE Regulations require manufacturers and importers of electrical and electronic equipment to join an approved PCS by March 15.

Details about Environ’s PCS are available at www.b2bweee-scheme.com.

SAN JOSE -- Flextronics today reported record net sales of $5.4 billion for its third quarter, up 31% from a year ago. For the period ended Dec. 31, GAAP net income increased 183% to a record $119 million.

"Flextronics is aggressively taking market share and is in position to exceed its long-term financial goal of 15 to 20% year-over-year operating growth in calendar 2007," wrote analyst Carter Shoop of Deutsche Bank Equity Research in a research note last night.

SPOKANE, WA -- Electronic manufacturing services firm Key Tronic Corp. reported December quarter revenue of $49.8 million, up 10% year-over-year.

Net income slipped from $1 million a year ago to was $300,000 for the December quarter, including a one-time charge of $940,000 for inventory and receivables reserves related to a customer bankruptcy.