News
BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC’s Executive Market & Technology Forum has issued requests for proposals for two new research studies.
One study will cover Microelectronics: The Future of Miniaturization and its Impact on Electronics Manufacturing; the second will address Geographic Strategies for Global Expansion in the Electronics Interconnect Industry: Where to Invest for Long-Term Business Growth.
Proposals are due by May 18; commissions will be announced in early June. IPC anticipates publishing the studies in September.
More information about IPC’s market research programs, including the Executive Market & Technology Forum, is available on the Market Research page at www.ipc.org.
MANKATO, MN – Winland Electronics, Inc., designer and manufacturer of custom electronic control products and systems, reported first-quarter revenues of $9.3 million.
This was an increase of 13.4% compared to $8.2 million reported for the same period last year. The increase was the result of a 16.4% increase in sales for OEM customers, partially offset by a 12.5% decrease in sales of the company's proprietary line of products.
Gross profit was $1.2 million, 13% of sales, down from $1.7 million in sales for the first quarter of 2006.
Total operating expenses increased 34.1% to $1.5 million when compared to $1.2 million year-over-year.
YAVNE, ISRAEL – Orbotech Ltd., maker of automated inspection systems for PCBs and flat panel displays, has cut its 2007 revenue outlook and posted a lower-than-expected first-quarter profit of $5.6 million, compared with earnings of $14.1 million year-over-year. The company cites the delay in pick up of the flat panel display market.
Revenue in the first quarter fell to $86.1 million from $101.4 million a year ago. The company now expects 2007 revenue of about $380 to $390 million, chief executive Rani Cohen said – $10 to $20 million less than previously projected. However, the company expects second-quarter revenue to increase slightly from the first quarter.
Sales of equipment to the PCB industry fell to $35.5 million from $40.8 million year-over-year, while sales of flat panel display inspection equipment slipped to $19.1 million from $30 million, said Orbotech.
JASPER, IN – Kimball International, Inc. announced sales for the third quarter of fiscal year 2007 were $311.6 million, an increase of 20% over sales of $260.7 million year-over-year. Sales included $79.2 million from acquisitions in the company's electronic contract assemblies segment. Sales in this segment increased 49% as a result of the acquisitions. On February 15, Kimball completed the acquisition of Reptron Electronics, Inc., a U.S.-based EMS company. The purchase price was $50.9 million.
Income for the third quarter was $3.8 million, which included a loss from discontinued operations of $600,000. For the same period last year, income was $7.3 million, including a loss from discontinued operations of $400,000.
Sales for the third quarter in the electronic contract assemblies segment were $165.3 million, an increase of 49% over sales of $111.1 million last year.
PRINCETON, NJ – Tyco International Ltd. reported lower quarterly profit, but results beat expectations led partially by improving sales in its electronics segment. Net earnings fell 6.7% to $835 million in the company’s fiscal second quarter, from $895 million year-over-year. Revenue rose 7% to $10.8 billion.
The company expects third-quarter sales will be up 5.5 to 6.5%.
Tyco, which plans to separate its health-care and electronics divisions by the end of June, said each of segments reported higher quarterly sales, but all had lower operating income and profit margins.
MELVILLE, NY — Nu Horizons Electronics Corp., distributor of electronic components, reported that for the fiscal year ended Feb. 28, net sales increased to $737.5 million from $561.3 million year-over-year, an increase of 31%.
Net income for the year increased 103% to $9.9 million, compared with $4.9 million in the same period last year.
Net sales for the fourth quarter increased to $170.1 million from $164.1 million in the same period last year, an increase of 4%. Net income for the quarter was $900,000, compared with $2.1 million year-over-year.
EL SEGUNDO, CA — iSuppli will host a Webinar on China’s DTVs, STBs & Handset Design Dynamics on May 11 at 8:30 am Pacific.
Byron Wu, director & principal analyst, China Research, will tackle such issues as China’s local handset design market; the forecast for local design handset shipments by different suppliers and technology; average selling price trends and bill-of-materials costs of handsets; the status of the 20 semiconductor suppliers in China’s DTV market, and design influence trends in China’s DTV industry.
Of the 70 million color television shipments in China in 2006, ODMs and EMS providers produced 20 million. With several dozen DTV design houses emerging in China, they are beginning to provide both semi-knock down and complete knock-down services domestically in cooperation with semiconductor suppliers, says iSuppli.
Byron Wu, director & principal analyst, China Research, will tackle such issues as China’s local handset design market; the forecast for local design handset shipments by different suppliers and technology; average selling price trends and bill-of-materials costs of handsets; the status of the 20 semiconductor suppliers in China’s DTV market, and design influence trends in China’s DTV industry.
Of the 70 million color television shipments in China in 2006, ODMs and EMS providers produced 20 million. With several dozen DTV design houses emerging in China, they are beginning to provide both semi-knock down and complete knock-down services domestically in cooperation with semiconductor suppliers, says iSuppli.
China is trying to become a major force in handset design as well, adds the firm. Local design of handsets reached 129 million units in 2006, with that number expected to grow to 170 million in 2007 as a result of increasing shipments from Chinese handset OEMs, independent design houses and ODMs, iSuppli predicts.
What are the Top-50 Chinese handset manufacturers doing to take advantage of strong demand? How can China’s handset industry improve its design capabilities? What is being done to compete against the gray-market handset suppliers and to win more sales overseas? How are DTV design houses distributing DTV chipsets in China? What role will design houses play in supplying TV chips to Chinese manufacturers?
For more information about the Webinar, please visit:
What are the Top-50 Chinese handset manufacturers doing to take advantage of strong demand? How can China’s handset industry improve its design capabilities? What is being done to compete against the gray-market handset suppliers and to win more sales overseas? How are DTV design houses distributing DTV chipsets in China? What role will design houses play in supplying TV chips to Chinese manufacturers?
For more information about the Webinar, please visit:
PROVIDENCE, RI – Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials will host an Automotive Electronics Technology Day on May 23 at the ZVE Training Center in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.
This technical forum will include keynotes by Cookson Electronics, Seho, Siemens Corporate Technology and Lackwerke Peters, along with two Q & As.
Engineers and executives who select and specify parts and materials for automotive electronics systems assemblies, and specialty finishes for automotive parts, will debate the latest technological developments.
To register, please email cgudden@cooksonelectronics.com.
SAN JOSE, CA – With 137 billion ICs produced, the value of the worldwide IC packaging market was $27.3 billion in 2006, reports Electronic Trend Publications in its Worldwide IC Packaging Market, 2007 Edition. Growth will reportedly continue to occur through 2008, with a probable slowdown in 2009, says the researcher.
HERNDON, VA – Industry-led consortium iNEMI today announced a majority of its OEM and EMS members strongly support unique part numbers for BGA components to differentiate any Pb-free ball metallurgies other than SAC 305 or SAC 405.
Concerned about changes in metallurgies, iNEMI informs that variations can impact the manufacturing process, including form, fit and function of a device. According to members, they should be documented by the issuance of a part change notice and should be associated with a change in manufacturing part number. In this way, the manufacturing assembly process can be properly controlled prior to actual assembly to ensure reliable attachment of the BGA to the next higher assembly and to help minimize ship holds as a result of unknown parts, iNEMI says.
iNEMI members in support of this proposal include Agilent, Celestica, HP, Intel, Jabil Circuit, Microsoft, Plexus, Sanmina-SCI, Solectron and Tyco Electronics, among others.
In 2004, iNEMI called for the use of unique part numbers for RoHS-compliant components, as defined by JEDEC/IPC standards. The consortium is also calling for continued availability of SnPb BGAs for use in high-reliability products, which are currently exempt from the EU RoHS Directive. Manufacturers of these high-reliability products will continue to use SnPb processes until long-life reliability concerns regarding Pb-free are resolved, and Pb-free BGAs are not compatible with these processes, says the consortium.
ARMONK, NY – IBM this week claimed to be first to apply a self-assembling nanotechnology to conventional chip manufacturing. The company expects to have the technology ready for wide-scale use by 2009.
The natural pattern-creating process that forms seashells, snowflakes and enamel on teeth reportedly has been harnessed to form trillions of holes to create insulating vacuums around the miles of nano-scale wires packed next to each other inside each computer chip.
The new technique to make airgaps by self-assembly skips the masking and light-etching process. Instead, IBM scientists discovered a mix of compounds they pour onto a silicon wafer with wired chip patterns before baking it.
Compounds assemble in a directed manner, creating trillions of uniform, nano-scale holes across an entire 300 mm wafer. These holes are just 20 nm in diameter, up to five times smaller than those using today’s lithography technique.
Researchers have proven electrical signals on the chips can flow 35% faster, or the chips can consume 15% less energy compared to advanced chips using conventional techniques.
The self-assembly process has been integrated with IBM's manufacturing line in East Fishkill, NY, and is expected to be fully incorporated in IBM’s manufacturing lines and used in chips in 2009. The chips will be used in IBM's server product lines and thereafter for chips IBM builds for other companies.
The natural pattern-creating process that forms seashells, snowflakes and enamel on teeth reportedly has been harnessed to form trillions of holes to create insulating vacuums around the miles of nano-scale wires packed next to each other inside each computer chip.
The new technique to make airgaps by self-assembly skips the masking and light-etching process. Instead, IBM scientists discovered a mix of compounds they pour onto a silicon wafer with wired chip patterns before baking it.
Compounds assemble in a directed manner, creating trillions of uniform, nano-scale holes across an entire 300 mm wafer. These holes are just 20 nm in diameter, up to five times smaller than those using today’s lithography technique.
Researchers have proven electrical signals on the chips can flow 35% faster, or the chips can consume 15% less energy compared to advanced chips using conventional techniques.
The self-assembly process has been integrated with IBM's manufacturing line in East Fishkill, NY, and is expected to be fully incorporated in IBM’s manufacturing lines and used in chips in 2009. The chips will be used in IBM's server product lines and thereafter for chips IBM builds for other companies.
ATLANTA — Siemens Energy and Automation, Inc. this week appointed Dennis Sadlowski president and CEO. Sadlowski succeeds Aubert Martin, retiring after 40 years with Siemens.
Sadlowski started at SE&A in 2000 as a VP and GM in Atlanta. From 2003 to 2006, Sadlowski led the Siemens Automation and Drives Sensors business in Germany. In 2006, he returned to Atlanta as COO, while concurrently managing the Power Distribution & Controls Division.
Press Releases
- Kurtz Ersa Goes Semiconductor: Expanding Competence in Microelectronics & Advanced Packaging
- ECIA’s February and Q1 Industry Pulse Surveys Show Positive Sales Confidence Dominating Every Sector of the Electronic Components Industry
- Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) Commits To New 5-Year Sustainability Roadmap Through 2030
- Amtech Electrocircuits Navigates Supreme Court Tariff Ruling