Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - News

News

ENDICOTT, NY – Endicott Interconnect and VisiLED have entered a development and manufacturing agreement for medical devices. EI’s Precision Equipment Manufacturing team will provide contract manufacturing services, including prototype fabrication, product development, manufacture and test of LED lights. The first devices produced by EI directly replace existing overhead operating room lights and will be available for sale in the second quarter of the year.

VisiLED develops LED-based lighting systems for use in surgical suites, medical and dental exam rooms. These devices replace current halogen and xenon bulb technology with smaller, LED light sources which reduce power consumption, heat generation and device weight, while providing greater light intensity and improved light color. Other products under development include an endoscope light, used for examination and photography within the human body, and a device for illuminating deep cavities during surgery.

New York – The introduction of Microsoft's Vista in the second half of the year will drive PC demand as users upgrade to higher performing PCs to maximize the benefits of the improved OS, according to Deutsche Bank analysts.

Users may migrate to systems with dual-core processors, 1GB+ RAM and enhanced GPUs, particularly mobile users and those who favor video editing or high-end gaming. DB believes Vista will spur a positive mix-shift across the PC industry, reversing the recent shift towards low-end desktops and notebooks.

ATLANTA– Jabil Circuit, the Georgia Institute of Technology, GTC, Universal Instruments and Vitronics Soltec recently completed a pilot test to demonstrate the speed and viability of CAMX software for electronics manufacturers. CAMX aims to quickly and effectively gather, compile and communicate data essential for manufacturers as they seek to address regulatory requirements and control costs.

The pilot took place at Jabil’s Billerica, MA, manufacturing facility in October 2005. The test team installed software and configured vital equipment in minutes. A number of CAMX events identified by Jabil for the pilot were collected and displayed throughout Jabil’s global enterprise using real-time, Web-based applications.

Since CAMX is based upon international standards, the time spent on configuring systems was minimal. The test also showed that critical machine and manufacturing data were exchanged accurately and efficiently.

Jim Jacobson, director of software product development for Universal, said, "The test proved that CAMX will enable more of our customers to easily monitor and collect machine performance data."

As demonstrated by the pilot test, CAMX can simplify and improve the speed of communications, while providing a non-proprietary standard platform for message exchange for manufacturers.

OTTAWA, CANADA -- Fabrinet, a top manufacturer of optical components, will acquire the Ottawa operations of JDS Uniphase Corp., the companies said.

The deal covers JDS' manufacturing operations in Ottawa, and is expected to be completed by April 1.

ONTARIO, CA -- J.R. Controls has acquired Cosmotronic Inc., a maker of mil spec rigid and rigid-flex printed circuit boards and assemblies.

The Cosmotronic management team has been retained and will report to Bill Kennard, president and general manager of the Winonics Printed Circuit Board group, a wholly owned subsidiary of J.R.Controls.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Abstracts for the SMTA International 2006 conference are due this week. Proposals for short course are also being solicited. The deadline is Feb. 24.

Notifications of acceptance will be made April 14.

To submit a abstract online go to www.smta.org/smtai/call_for_papers.cfm. 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 in nature.

NORTH BILLERICA, MA -- Oven maker BTU International Inc. today reported net sales of $19.3 million, up 4% sequentially and 41% over a year ago, and net income of $2.1 million, up 31% vs. the third quarter and 2000% over the fourth quarter 2004, for its fourth quarter ended Dec. 31.

TAIPEI -- Wistron, the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturing services firm known for building Xbox consoles and notebook PCs, is considering building a plant in Eastern Europe, the company's chairman said in an interview.

Possible sites include the Czech Republic, Poland, and Romania, chairman Simon Lin said.

HONG KONG -- Nam Tai Electronics Inc., an electronics manufacturing services provider, reported fourth quarter net sales of $247 million, far surpassing the upper end of company guidance and up 62% over same period in 2004.

For the year, the company reported revenues of $797 million, up increase 49% over 2004 and exceeded our guidance of 30% to 35%. Operating income for 2005 was US$52.6 million, an increase of 21%.

It was the company's fifth consecutive record sales quarter and seventh straight year of sales growth. Operating income rose for the fourth straight year.

ATLANTA -- Circuits Assembly today launched its new Web log featuring up-to-the-minute reports and commentary on the electronics manufacturing industry.

The Web log (or "blog") is managed by Circuits Assembly editor in chief Mike Buetow, and will feature regular commentary from several leading technologists.

The blog is located at http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/.

NORWALK, CT – Revenue from major applications and products based on organic electro-optical materials will spike from $2.6 billion last year to $10.5 billion by 2001, an average annual growth rate of 26.4%. According to a soon-to-be-released report from BCC Research, primary applications include displays, telecommunications and photonics, plus laser and nonlinear optics.

Sales of organic-based displays were $615 million last year, the firm says, about 24% of the total market. By 2011, the market will top $3 billion (29% share), BCC estimates, an AAGR of 30.8%.

Organic-based telecommunications and photonics materials were by far the largest market in 2005, accounting for about 75%, or $2 billion. By 2011, that segment will reach almost $7.5 billion, growing 24.9% annually.

KUALA LUMPUR -- Overlooked by the media, but not by investors, Malaysia continues to be a quiet hot spot for foreign investment in electronics manufacturing.

Outside investors poured $4.9 billion into manufacturing facilites in Malaysia last year, the highest mark since 2001, according to the nation's trade ministry. Electrical and electronics products accounts for half the Southeast Asia nation's annual exports.