BOSTON -- Based on recent increases in demand for air freight, the peak shipping season is about to be underway, a major logistics provider said today. Rates are expected to climb accordingly, said Trans Global Logistics in a bulletin to customers.

In several key regions, demand for air freight began to build in early July. Shippers are expected to begin ramping volumes later this month and in August.

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STRAMBINO, ITALY -- Test equipment maker Seica SpA has completed construction of a factory at its headquarters near Turin, Italy.

The 1300 sq. meter addition nearly doubles the company's previous capacity. The addition includes demo and training rooms.

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COCONUT CREEK, FL — Inovaxe Corp., a provider of supply-chain management solutions, named Bob Douglas president, responsible for sales, marketing, accounting, technical support, material handling systems and software development.

Douglas is a former vice president of operations at Vertical Communications, where he was responsible for worldwide outsource manufacturing, supplier development, quality, warehousing and distribution. He held a similar position at Speedcom Wireless Corp., and was spent 14 years at Teradyne Connection Systems.

AUSTIN -- EMS provider Bantam Electronics Inc. has signed a deal with Acequia L.P. to build hardware for the Aquador line irrigation control units.

Under the deal, Bantam will provide parts and finished product inventory management, shipping and logistics services, and warranty/RMA support.

Acequia makes irrigation water conservation products for businesses and consumers.

Other Bantam customers include AMD, NetQoS, Crossroads Systems and Wayport.

MINNEAPOLIS – Angad Singh's talk on an implantable MEMS sensor won Best of Conference at the third annual SMTA Medical Electronics Symposium.

Attendees of the mid-May event voted Singh' presentation, Development of an Implantable MEMS Biomedical Sensor, as the best presentation.

 

Singh is employed by CardioMEMS Inc.

Conference proceedings are available on CD-Rom from SMTA (smta.org).  

RICHARDSON, TX -- TXP Corp., a provider of pre-manufacturing services for the electronics industry, has changed its official corporate name to TXP Corp. and its common stock will begin trading under the new ticker symbol TXPO, effective July 14th, 2006.

The company's common shares are traded over the counter.

In a statement, president and chief executive officer Michael C. Shores said, "Our name change and new ticker symbol reflect the broad appeal of our services within the electronics industry, and our growing roster of Fortune 1000 clients. We continue to experience strong growth and have positioned ourselves as a formidable industry player committed to our customers and corporate mission."

NEWBRIDGE, SOUTH WALES – Axiom Manufacturing Services topped £2 million in sales last month, putting the electronics manufacturing services firm on a run rate of £21.5 million.

The company employs 220 people at its 28,000 sq. meter plant.

VELIKO TURNOVO, BULGARIA -- SVA Group, a top Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer, opened its first plant in Europe. The factory will build televisions and has capacity to produce over 100,000 sets per year.

The company has to date invested more than $1.1 million on its four lines, and will spend another $700,000 to add another line, according to published reports.

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POULTNEY — Contract electronics manufacturer Vermont Electro-Mechanical Assembly Services (AVEMAS) will move its manufacturing operations by next year

The firm will make the move with help in part from a $600,000 loan from the Vermont Economic Development Authority. The funds will go toward renovating an old pump-making factory.

The company currently employs 48 workers in Middlebury, VT, and plans to add six to 10 jobs within three years.

Its customer base is 70% industrial, plus some medical and military customers.

DUBAI, UAE -- Touchmate will launch a series of mobile phones, PCs, IT peripherals and consumer electronics products, expanding its portfolio to over 200 consumer electronics products, the company said last week.

The UAE based company plans to make itself a one-stop shop for resellers in the UAE.

Touchmate is owned by Quality Gulf.

LITTLETON, MA -- VJ Electronix has relocated to a new state-of-the-art facility here that is close to double the size of its old plant, in Shirley, MA.

The new factory is two stories and features 30,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing and R&D space, plus 7,000 sq. ft. of office space.

The address of the new site is 234 Taylor St., Littleton, MA 01460; 978-486-4777.

VJ's corporate address remains at 89 Carlough Rd. in Bohemia, NY. Invoices and payments should continue to be sent to this address.

In a statement, general manager Don Naugler said, “VJ Electronix’s relocation is a strategic move designed to better serve our customers and to more fully develop our products and technologies. The expanded facility allows us to offer a wider range of cost-effective and leading-edge solutions.”

VJ designs and builds x-ray inspection technology and rework systems.

SCHAUMBURG, IL -- Motorola has signed a multiyear deal to use JTAG boundary scan test systems from Asset InterTech.

Under the deal, announced by Asset, the company's ScanWorks test system will be implemented in Motorola sites worldwide.

Steve Harrison, a test engineer in Motorola's Networks Division, said, "We felt it would be advantageous over the long term if we were to standardize on the ScanWorks platform at this time."