News
OTTOBURN, GERMANY -- Siemens Automation and Drives has acquired the die bonder activities of F&K Delvotec Bondtechnik GmbH. No financial terms were disclosed.
Siemens will integrate the business with its Electronics Assembly Systems division, which includes its Siplace placement machines.
The companies suggested that they would look at ways to integrate placement and die bonding processes.
Siemens will integrate the business with its Electronics Assembly Systems division, which includes its Siplace placement machines.
The companies suggested that they would look at ways to integrate placement and die bonding processes.
PHOENIX -- Suntron Corp.,a provider of electronics manufacturing services, on Thursday reported net income of $100,000 on revenue of $83.9 million for its fiscal fourth quarter.
Revenues rose 4.4% sequentially, in line with previous company guidance, but fell 28% year-over-year.
Revenues rose 4.4% sequentially, in line with previous company guidance, but fell 28% year-over-year.
In his blog today, Dr. Brian Toleno notes the upcoming RoHS laws in China.
http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/
http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/
Atlanta – The 10th annual Atlanta SMTA Expo will occur on April 20, at the Gwinnett Civic Center in Duluth, GA. In addition to the exhibition and technology showcase, Phil Zarrow and Mike Buetow will each present a keynote presentation.
Zarrow is president and co-founder of ITM Consulting, and a Circuits Assembly columnist. He will speak from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on “Implementing Lead-Free: The Other 90%.” He will examine what Pb-free means to the electronic assembler at the process and logistics level. The impact upon printing, placement, reflow and inspection will be examined as well as the adaptations necessary by purchasing, quality assurance and product development groups.
Mike Buetow, Editor-in-Chief of Circuits Assembly, will follow with a presentation entitled, “Who Owns the Supply Chain?” According to Buetow, there is a is a war on in the supply chain as each segment fights for its share of the OEM pie. As EMS and distributors add value-added services, their suppliers cannot help but be impacted. Environmental legislation is affecting how everyone (designers, fabricators, assemblers) does business. The presentation will provide a look at how the supply chain is shaping up and what it might look like in the future.
For information on exhibiting or attending, visit: smta.org/education/vendor_days/vendor_days.cfm#ga
Zarrow is president and co-founder of ITM Consulting, and a Circuits Assembly columnist. He will speak from 8:30-9:30 a.m. on “Implementing Lead-Free: The Other 90%.” He will examine what Pb-free means to the electronic assembler at the process and logistics level. The impact upon printing, placement, reflow and inspection will be examined as well as the adaptations necessary by purchasing, quality assurance and product development groups.
Mike Buetow, Editor-in-Chief of Circuits Assembly, will follow with a presentation entitled, “Who Owns the Supply Chain?” According to Buetow, there is a is a war on in the supply chain as each segment fights for its share of the OEM pie. As EMS and distributors add value-added services, their suppliers cannot help but be impacted. Environmental legislation is affecting how everyone (designers, fabricators, assemblers) does business. The presentation will provide a look at how the supply chain is shaping up and what it might look like in the future.
For information on exhibiting or attending, visit: smta.org/education/vendor_days/vendor_days.cfm#ga
SARATOGA, CA – State of the art wafer fabrication capacity reached a record high of 99% in the fourth quarter of 2005, prompting speculation over a potential recession.
According to research firm Advanced Forecasting Inc., the fourth-quarter utilization level is “reminiscent” of cycles in 1995 and 2000 in which utilization rates of the SoA technology (defined as line widths smaller than 0.12 microns) topped 97%, only to be followed by a recession.
This time it’s different, the semiconductor forecasting house says.SCOTTSDALE, AZ-- Aegis Assessments has ordered a $250,000 initial production run of the SafetyNet RadioBridge from contract manufacturer CirTran Corp. Aegis is a wireless technology company that provides products that improve emergency communications for homeland security, public safety and commercial applications,
CirTran was previously awarded a contract by Aegis to redesign the product, which interconnects incompatible radios.The project was performed at CirTran's ISO 9001:2000-certified manufacturing facility in Salt Lake City.
ANGLETON, TX-- Benchmark Electronics on Wednesday announced that its board has declared a 3-for-2 stock split in the form of a stock dividend.
Shareholders of record at the close of business March 27 will receive one additional share for every two shares owned, to be distributed on or about April 3.
Shareholders of record at the close of business March 27 will receive one additional share for every two shares owned, to be distributed on or about April 3.
After the stock split, it will have approx. 63,878,218 shares outstanding.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The SMTA is offering a number of educational events this spring, including an RoHS Due Diligence workshop on April 18 and June 13, and the Medical Electronics Symposium on May 15-17.
The Building Your Due Diligence Defense Workshop aims to help participants reduce both financial risk and operational costs. This workshop will be held on April 18 at the Radisson Hotel Milwaukee Airport, and will be repeated on June 13 at the DoubleTree Hotel Colorado Springs.
Workshop Topics
· Due-diligence legal definitions and case-law interpretations
· Industry best practices
· Critical steps when implementing a due diligence process
· What to include on your due diligence checklist
· Revising contracts to reduce liability
· Cost-effective ways to collect, manage and report substance-level data
· Screening techniques for supplier and product verification
· Lab testing strategies, methods and ways of reducing cost
· Fastest way to populating your materials database
· Tips for balancing financial risk and operational costs
For details, visit smta.org/education/academy/academy.cfm#RoHS.
The third annual SMTA Medical Electronics Symposium will be held on May 15-17 at the Sheraton Hotel Minneapolis South in Bloomington, MN.
This symposium will focus on the medical device market’s current and future outlooks, application cleanliness, business challenges, sensors/MEMS, material and component reliability, product technology, product assembly, Pb Free learned lessons, process and cost improvement projects.
A half-day course on Reliability Assurance in Medical Electronics will be conducted by Graig Hillman, DfR Solutions and Daniel Baldwin, Engent Inc.
A tabletop exhibit will feature industry suppliers.
For more info.: smta.org/education/symposia/symposia.cfm#medical
The Building Your Due Diligence Defense Workshop aims to help participants reduce both financial risk and operational costs. This workshop will be held on April 18 at the Radisson Hotel Milwaukee Airport, and will be repeated on June 13 at the DoubleTree Hotel Colorado Springs.
Workshop Topics
· Due-diligence legal definitions and case-law interpretations
· Industry best practices
· Critical steps when implementing a due diligence process
· What to include on your due diligence checklist
· Revising contracts to reduce liability
· Cost-effective ways to collect, manage and report substance-level data
· Screening techniques for supplier and product verification
· Lab testing strategies, methods and ways of reducing cost
· Fastest way to populating your materials database
· Tips for balancing financial risk and operational costs
For details, visit smta.org/education/academy/academy.cfm#RoHS.
The third annual SMTA Medical Electronics Symposium will be held on May 15-17 at the Sheraton Hotel Minneapolis South in Bloomington, MN.
This symposium will focus on the medical device market’s current and future outlooks, application cleanliness, business challenges, sensors/MEMS, material and component reliability, product technology, product assembly, Pb Free learned lessons, process and cost improvement projects.
A half-day course on Reliability Assurance in Medical Electronics will be conducted by Graig Hillman, DfR Solutions and Daniel Baldwin, Engent Inc.
A tabletop exhibit will feature industry suppliers.
For more info.: smta.org/education/symposia/symposia.cfm#medical
Lexington, KY -- SMC and Note AB have joined forces to establish an International Procurement Office (IPO) in Shenzhen. Both companies are partners in the ems-Alliance, a group of select EMS providers from around the world.
“Forming an IPO has been a goal for SMC since joining the ems-Alliance in 2003,” said Craig Schuster, SMC COO. “Through our established relationship with ems-Alliance partner Note AB, and strategies developed by the Alliance supply team, SMC was able to open an IPO in late 2005 in Shenzhen City, Guangdon Province, Peoples Republic of China.”
The day to day operations of the IPO are run by general manager Derek Teagle of Note AB. Teagle works with a staff of six English speaking Chinese nationals, consisting of buyers and engineers, who represent SMC and Note AB in sourcing manufacturing components in the Pacific Rim, most heavily concentrated in the low-cost region of China. They currently source custom build-to-print products such as: PCBs, cables, wiring harnesses, metals and plastics. They can also source relays, connectors and transformers.
Once the IPO locates a new supplier they must then go through an evaluation phase. The IPO office works to evaluate, qualify and approve a custom supplier prior to any purchases. On-site visits are mandatory for each new custom supplier.
SMC’s purchasing department then takes over and makes the actual purchase of the components and uses their previously established logistics companies to ship product. SMC is currently purchasing approximately 10% of their manufacturing materials off-shore.
“Forming an IPO has been a goal for SMC since joining the ems-Alliance in 2003,” said Craig Schuster, SMC COO. “Through our established relationship with ems-Alliance partner Note AB, and strategies developed by the Alliance supply team, SMC was able to open an IPO in late 2005 in Shenzhen City, Guangdon Province, Peoples Republic of China.”
The day to day operations of the IPO are run by general manager Derek Teagle of Note AB. Teagle works with a staff of six English speaking Chinese nationals, consisting of buyers and engineers, who represent SMC and Note AB in sourcing manufacturing components in the Pacific Rim, most heavily concentrated in the low-cost region of China. They currently source custom build-to-print products such as: PCBs, cables, wiring harnesses, metals and plastics. They can also source relays, connectors and transformers.
Once the IPO locates a new supplier they must then go through an evaluation phase. The IPO office works to evaluate, qualify and approve a custom supplier prior to any purchases. On-site visits are mandatory for each new custom supplier.
SMC’s purchasing department then takes over and makes the actual purchase of the components and uses their previously established logistics companies to ship product. SMC is currently purchasing approximately 10% of their manufacturing materials off-shore.
SOUTHFIELD, MI — DENSO announced a new five-year North American Environmental Action Plan that takes effect in April and will serve as a roadmap for North American environmental activities.
“We recognize that while automobiles are an essential part of our daily lives, they do have a negative impact on the environment,” said Mitsuo “Matt” Matsushita, DENSO International America president and CEO. “We believe it is our responsibility to do everything we can to reduce that environmental burden.”
The environmental action plan is organized into four categories:
Eco Products: develop products that are lightweight, energy saving and consider environmental improvement. In all of its products, the company will reduce its use of resources; control and reduce environmentally hazardous substances such as mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium; and integrate environmental planning into product design.
Eco Factory: work to reduce the environmental impact of its manufacturing facilities (including manufacturing and distribution) through reduced water use (to 50% of 1999 levels); reduced CO2 emissions (by 18% in manufacturing facilities and 6% in other facilities); reduce landfill waste to 75% of 1999 levels; and reduce hazardous substance emissions by decreasing manufacturing facility regulated emissions volume to 30% of 2000 levels.
Eco Management: develop environmental action plans and reinforce environmental partnerships with suppliers through activities such as developing green procurement guidelines and promoting the purchase of environmentally friendly products.
Eco Friendly: encourage and support employee environmental activities; offer proactive information disclosure and communication with stakeholders; offer environmental education, and environmental and social contributions.
“Our ultimate goal is to prevent global warming, recycle resources and reduce environmentally hazardous substances,” said Matsushita. “That is how we’ll measure our success rate in each of these four key areas.”
Japan-based DENSO Corp. employs more than 15,000 people in the Americas at 33 companies with sales for fiscal 2005 totaling US$5.4 billion.
“We recognize that while automobiles are an essential part of our daily lives, they do have a negative impact on the environment,” said Mitsuo “Matt” Matsushita, DENSO International America president and CEO. “We believe it is our responsibility to do everything we can to reduce that environmental burden.”
The environmental action plan is organized into four categories:
Eco Products: develop products that are lightweight, energy saving and consider environmental improvement. In all of its products, the company will reduce its use of resources; control and reduce environmentally hazardous substances such as mercury, cadmium and hexavalent chromium; and integrate environmental planning into product design.
Eco Factory: work to reduce the environmental impact of its manufacturing facilities (including manufacturing and distribution) through reduced water use (to 50% of 1999 levels); reduced CO2 emissions (by 18% in manufacturing facilities and 6% in other facilities); reduce landfill waste to 75% of 1999 levels; and reduce hazardous substance emissions by decreasing manufacturing facility regulated emissions volume to 30% of 2000 levels.
Eco Management: develop environmental action plans and reinforce environmental partnerships with suppliers through activities such as developing green procurement guidelines and promoting the purchase of environmentally friendly products.
Eco Friendly: encourage and support employee environmental activities; offer proactive information disclosure and communication with stakeholders; offer environmental education, and environmental and social contributions.
“Our ultimate goal is to prevent global warming, recycle resources and reduce environmentally hazardous substances,” said Matsushita. “That is how we’ll measure our success rate in each of these four key areas.”
Japan-based DENSO Corp. employs more than 15,000 people in the Americas at 33 companies with sales for fiscal 2005 totaling US$5.4 billion.
SAN JOSE -- Sales of communications equipment
sales reached $309 billion in 2005, topping the $300 billion mark for the
first time, research firm Electronic Trend Publications reported, led by sales
of cellular handsets.
Through 2010, outsourced manufacturing will grow nearly twice as fast as in-house manufacturing, ETP said. "Outsourcing will prove to be most popular for commodity and high-volume products for which cost reduction and time to market are important. Demand for in-house production of communications products will remain solid but uninspired, and dominated by Asian OEMs that prefer not to subcontract."
Through 2010, outsourced manufacturing will grow nearly twice as fast as in-house manufacturing, ETP said. "Outsourcing will prove to be most popular for commodity and high-volume products for which cost reduction and time to market are important. Demand for in-house production of communications products will remain solid but uninspired, and dominated by Asian OEMs that prefer not to subcontract."
BOSTON -- Strong demand for air freight in key markets and freight backlogs are delaying shipments and pushing rates higher.
In certain gateways, rate increases have hit 30%, Trans Global Logistics said in an email to customers.
The demand for air lift is in line with seasonal patterns, the firm said, although the surge for capacity hit "about a week earlier than normal."
March often ends the first fiscal quarter, the firm noted, which in turn ignites a surge in electronics exports. "High-tech importers continue to tell our operations staff that demand should be strong later this month."
Sites with major backlogs include Bangladesh, Seoul, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taiwan have seen prices increase as much as 30%. In other areas, carriers will only accept cargo at express rates, which can add another $1.50/kg. to the cost of shipping by air.
Some carriers have announced new fuel surcharge increases as well.
In certain gateways, rate increases have hit 30%, Trans Global Logistics said in an email to customers.
The demand for air lift is in line with seasonal patterns, the firm said, although the surge for capacity hit "about a week earlier than normal."
March often ends the first fiscal quarter, the firm noted, which in turn ignites a surge in electronics exports. "High-tech importers continue to tell our operations staff that demand should be strong later this month."
Sites with major backlogs include Bangladesh, Seoul, Taiwan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taiwan have seen prices increase as much as 30%. In other areas, carriers will only accept cargo at express rates, which can add another $1.50/kg. to the cost of shipping by air.
Some carriers have announced new fuel surcharge increases as well.
Press Releases
- Surf-Tech Manufacturing Corp. Ensures World-Class Quality with Advanced Conformal Coating Services
- Luminovo Partners with Sluicebox to Offer an Industry-First Instant Product Carbon Footprint for Electronics
- The Assembly Show and SMTAI Announce Colocation in October
- SIA Applauds CHIPS Act Incentives for GlobalWafers Projects in Texas and Missouri