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ELKHART, IN -- CTS Corp., a manufacturer of electronic components and sensors and a provider of EMS
services, will build a manufacturing operation in Ostrava, on the eastern border of the Czech Republic. Production is expected to start mid-2006. The facility will initially manufacture automotive products for the European market.

In a press statement, vice president and general manager of CTS automotive products Jeff McCurley said, "Our European sales are projected to double in the next five years. Expansion of our European manufacturing presence to the Czech Republic will better serve our European automotive customers. Locating our new plant in Ostrava offers low costs, availability of technical skills and necessary manufacturing infrastructure," added McCurley.


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CHANDLER, AZ -- Isola said it might raise prices up to 10% due to cost increases in various raw materials for laminate and prepreg products. A decision is expected in a few weeks.

Price inflation has been rampant for such materials as hydrocarbon-based products, copper and even oil. In a press release, Tim McCloskey, vice president sales, Americas, said, “Recent increases in the prices of all hydrocarbon-based products are having a significant impact on the cost structure throughout the Isola product line. In addition, rising oil prices have increased operating costs through higher natural gas prices and freight surcharges. Copper prices continue at record levels in the commodity markets, driving recent increases from the producers of electrodeposited copper foil."

"Our goal is to keep any potential increase in the 8 to 10% range. While we regret that this action may be necessary, it is quite clear that the entire supply chain in electronics manufacturing is similarly affected”, said McCloskey.

Recently, a pair of major Japan-based laminate producers raised prices about 10%.

An announcement detailing the pricing for Isola products is anticipated in the coming weeks.
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SAN JOSE  -- North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.09 billion in orders in September on a three-month, down 1% from August and 19% from last year. The book-to-bill ratio was 1.02, the SEMI trade group said.

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GREENVILLE, SC -- Kemet Corp. today said it is in "advanced" negotiations to acquire the tantalum capacitor business of Epcos AG. The deal is expected to close early next year, and no financial terms were disclosed.

Separately, however, Epcos said the proceeds of the sale would improve its net cash flow by at least 70 million euros.

In a press release, Kemet said the acquisition would increase its access to key markets including automotive and telecom and broaden its manufacturing base.

The deal hinges on the completion of a definitive agreement, among other customary business.

Epcos is based in Munich. The tantalum capacitor business was reportedly profitable business until 2001, but since has been hurt by overcapacity and falling prices.
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ST. LOUIS  -- LaBarge Inc. today announced net sales will be approximately $39.6 million, down 9.2% from $43.6 million a year ago.

For its fiscal 2006 first quarter, ended Oct. 2, net earnings are expected to be $0.12 to $0.13 per diluted share, compared with $0.15 per diluted share in the comparable period a year ago.

The results would be consistent with previous guidance. In its earlier guidance, the company forecast sales of $41 million to $42 million, and diluted earnings per share of $0.12 to $0.13.

Profit margins improved during the quarter. Sales fell below projections because of several customers rescheduling shipments.
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LAGUNA, PHILIPPINES -- Shareholders of Speedy-Tech Electronics Ltd., a
Singapore-based EMS and power electronics company, have approved the company's merger with Integrated Microelectronics Inc., a Philippines-based electronics manufacturing service provider.

The merged entity would have a combined revenue of $265 million and profit after tax and minority interests of about $30 million, based on the latest 2004 audited financials.


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ENDICOTT, NY -- Endicott Interconnect Technologies, IBM's former manufacturing arm, has teamed with Universal Instruments Corp. to automate and maximize production of very large, complex printed circuit cards and assemblies.

Endicott Interconnect, which builds PCBs, assemblies and chip packages, is using Universal's Advantis Flip Chip placement system and Polaris multi-process assembly machines to fully automate production of a high-performance chip carrier for a leading military supplier.

The product has several hundred surface-mount components, several memory devices and a very large heat spreader, Endicott Interconnect said in a press statement.

"Due to the mission critical nature of the product, we require stringent accuracy along with the ability to gang pick- and-place the larger components and sophisticated parts tracking," said Raj Raj, Endicott Interconnect senior engineering manager. "In partnership with Universal, we are able to achieve an advanced and innovative solution for these unique manufacturing needs."
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WEST CHICAGO, IL -- Connectors used in instrumentation products are a $700 million market and growing, said a new research report.

Bishop & Associates says sales of connectors used in instrumentation applications will grow to over $1 billion by 2009. 

The 200-page research report also notes that the instrumentation market is not moving to China, provides high profit margins and growth that exceeds industry averages.
 
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MIDLAND, MI — Dow Chemical will increase prices for all grades of epoxy resins sold in North America by $0.05/lb, the company said today. The increases are effective Nov. 1, 2005, or as contract terms permit.

Dow said the increase is driven by various factors, including additional increases in feedstock and energy prices, and difficulties in transporting key raw materials due to the combined impact of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in North America.

Epoxy resins are used in laminates for printed circuit boards.
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CLEVELAND – Keithley Instruments will expand in Singapore and open of two offices in Malaysia for direct sales and support of its electrical test and measurement solutions, the company said today.

In a statement, chairman, president and CEO Joseph P. Keithley said, “Our new sales and support offices in Singapore and Malaysia allow us to build closer working partnerships with local customers."

More than 50% of the company's sales come from outside the U.S. Read more ...
CHICAGO -- Newark InOne, a small-quantity distributor of electronics components and test equipment, has added to its product line pre-calibrated test equipment, an expanded range of panel instrumentation, and custom capabilities for analog and digital panel meters, and controllers.

In a statement, the company said its Newark InOne Services metrology lab in Colorado is calibrating clamp meters, digital multimeters, oscilloscopes and benchtop power supplies from Fluke, Tektronix, Agilent, B&K, Amprobe and Megger. Certification with data accompanies all test equipment.

"Newark InOne Services is all about saving our customers time and increasing their productivity," said Paul Tallentire, president, Newark InOne. "When you buy a scope or meter from us that's already been calibrated, you can start using it from day one."

In July 2005, Newark InOne purchased the assets of Colorado-based R&R Instrumentation and transferred all of its business and employees to create the new division. Read more ...
PALO ALTO -- King Yuan Electronics Corp., an integrated back-end service provider in Taiwan, has purchased an Agilent Technologies 93000 Pin Scale system to add to its Agilent 93000 installed base. The system will be used for testing complex SOCs (systems-on-a-chip) for applications such as PCI Express, Serial ATA and HyperTransport.

"We are seeing a growing demand for the 93000 Pin Scale system, especially from customers wanting faster and more economical test solutions for high-complexity, high-accuracy SOC devices," said Gauss Chang, KYEC assistant vice president in charge of sales, marketing and platform evaluation. "We chose the 93000 Pin Scale system because it gives us the flexibility to measure a wide range of devices with very high accuracy at a low cost of test."

The system supports up to 2,048 pins -- enough for multisite test or high-pin-count devices. The tester scales to 3.6 Gb/s to address high-speed interface applications targeted for KYEC's system.

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