Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - News

News

SUZHOU -- Indium Corp. (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. has passed an audit for ISO-9001:2000 certification, the company announced.

The Suzhou facility is latest of the the company’s operations in the U.S., Europea, and Asia-Pacific to attain ISO-9001:2000 certification.

HERNDON, VA— The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) will kick off its 2007 Roadmap during Apex next month, with a meeting on Feb. 6-7. In addition, several iNEMI project activities and results will be discussed in conference forums and technical sessions.

Every two years, iNEMI maps the future manufacturing technology needs of the global electronics industry. The roadmap helps companies anticipate shifts in product requirements and provides an early warning of changes in technology or infrastructure. It also identifies emerging and disruptive technologies, fuels development of future projects and sets priorities for industry R&D over the next 10 years.

iNEMI is recruiting industry experts to participate in the 2007 Roadmap (membership is not required). The group is looking for a diverse mix of OEMs, EMS providers, suppliers and R&D institutes, including those in Europe and Asia.

For more details and a registration form, visit: inemi.org/cms/calendar/APEX_2006_Roadmap_2007_Mtg.html

Other iNEMI Meetings & Presentations
A Halogen-Free Call for Participation Meeting will take place on Feb. 8 at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. This is an organizational meeting for iNEMI’s new halogen-free effort. The initiative hopes to promote standards development by establishing materials, manufacturing, assembly and test guidelines for halogen-free PWBs based on market segment requirements and technical, commercial and functional viability.

Other meetings on Feb. 8 will cover Lead-Free and RoHS; tin whiskers; and roadmapping interconnect technology. Session of Feb. 9 include: copper vs. optoelectronics in PCBs; the medical standards initiative; industry adoption of IPC 2581; and the Pb-Free DPMO project.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Jabil Circuit has exercised an option to acquire all the outstanding stock of Celetronix International Ltd., a privately held electronics manufacturer based in India.

abil loaned $25 million to Celetronix in fiscal 2005 in exchange for an option to purchase 100% of the shares of the company. The incremental purchase price for the acquisition is expected to be approximately $155 million plus the assumption of approximately $30 million of net debt, putting the total cost at $205 million.

WALLINGFORD, CT – Amphenol Corp. reported fourth-quarter 2005 net income of about $200 million while sales rose 26% to $508.1 million.

For the year ended Dec. 31, the company reported sales of $1.81 billion, up 18.3% over a year ago and a new company high.

Fourth quarter results include sales by the former Teradyne Connection Systems of $35 million in December.

Interconnect products – 89% of the company’s overall sales – was up 27% “with excellent profitability,” said Amphenol chairman and CEO Martin H. Loeffler.

The company said growth was broad-based and included all major geographic regions. Growth was especially strong in the mobile device market. Cable products was up 14% over the prior year.

Operating income margin in the quarter was 18.5%, down from 18.8% last year. Excluding the impact of TCS, which in December had operating income margins of 7.5%, the fourth quarter margin was 19.3%. Cash flow from operations was $75 million.

The company guided for 2006 revenues of $2.25 billion to $2.3 billion. For the first quarter it forecast revenues of $535 million to $545 million. The TCS acquisition is expected to be accretive for 2006, but slightly dilutive in the first half.

VANCOUVER – Brio Technology Co., the North American arm of Brio Technology Ltd., a Beijing-based EMS company, will move into a new 130,000 sq. ft. building in next month.

Within the new facility, which spans eight floors, one floor is slated for prototype and preproduction runs.

Foothill Ranch, CA – Valor Computerized Systems has opened a dedicated business unit in Latin America. Dante Dominguez will serve as general manager for the region.

Over the past year Valor has built up its presence in Central and South America, adding local engineering resources. According to the company, local markets show significant signs of revival, proving to be effective competitors to offshore markets.

Glen Cove, NY— PCB manufacturer Photocircuits Corp. has received approval to proceed with the sale of substantially all of its assets, including the assumption of certain liabilities, to a long term equity investor.

A private equity investor is currently the leading bidder in the auction. The firm has stated its intention to operate the business with the current management team and employees.

The final purchase price is subject to other offers that might arise at the formal auction on February 6.

The sale will bring Photocircuits nearer to the completion of its reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U. S. Bankruptcy Code.

NEW YORK -- End-markets for electronics products continue to grow at a modest pace, boosting semiconductor sales, a leading market watcher said today.

"We believe that end-markets grew at a modest pace in Q4. Handsets, mobile PCs, and consumer electronics were strong, but our checks in Taiwan did uncover a modest inventory build in PC components," Jack Romaine, an analyst with SG Cowan, wrote in a note issued today.

HELSINKI -- Aspocomp Group, the second largest PCB company in Europe, plans build a printed circuit board plant in Chennai, India, the company said today.

Aspocomp will invest 60 million euros in the the plant, India's first HDI production facility, Aspocomp said.

TEMPE, AZ -- Three-Five Systems Inc. has filed a joint plan of reorganization with its wholly owned subsidiary, TFS-DI Inc. in their respective bankruptcy cases.

The plan proposes a reorganization of both companies into a single post-bankruptcy entity.

If approved, the reorganized TFS's operations will be limited to the liquidation and monetization of all its non-cash assets. These assets comprise the cash and non-cash assets of the two companies, which will be substantively consolidated under the plan, TFI said in a filing.

The company anticipates that sufficient cash will exist in the consolidated estate on the plan's effective date to pay all claims of all creditors in all classes and that there will be final cash distributions to company shareholders.

NORTH BILLERICA, MA -- BTU International Inc. has decided on Shanghai as its new Asia-Pacific headquarters.

The company also named Boris Mathiszik director of sales for the Asia-Pacific region. Mathiszik was vice president, x-ray inspection at Phoenix/X-ray Systems.

ELM CITY, NC – Following a late December fire that devastated its manufacturing plant, Fawn Electronics has relocated into a temporary site in Wilson, NC, where it is performing final integration while working feverishly to reestablish full production.

Early in the morning of Dec. 22, fire ripped through the company's plant in Elm City, destroying much of it. The fire has been ruled accidental. Work has been subcontracted while the new site is brought online.