Tamarac, FL -- MVR International Inc., a Florida-based distributor of electronic components, has launched a website (mvr-green.com) dedicated to the RoHS directive and other environmental laws emerging worldwide.

In an effort to clarify the complex RoHS issue and to provide up-to-date information, the online resource center offers:

Links to more than 250 components manufacturers’ compliance information,

Daily updated news about RoHS and environmental issues affecting the electronics industry,

Presentation of the RoHS directive in details: enforcement, affected equipments, exemptions, responsibilities, emerging  legislations worldwide, international standards, etc.,

Frequently Asked Questions and links to technical and legislative resources about RoHS and environmental laws, etc.

The website, launched one year before official RoHS enforcement, will be continually updated until the need for such support is over.

HANOI -- Is Intel headed for India?

The world's leading chipmaker is reportedly considering locating a major chip packaging factory in India or Vietnam.

Intel chief executive Paul Otellini reportedly said Vietnam and other countries were possible locations for the facility. The estimated price tag for the plant: $400 million.

SAN JOSE -- The industry trade group SEMI will discuss the world's semiconductor equipment market in a special Webcast next week. 

The Webcast will cover the global semiconductor equipment and materials markets. It will also include highlights from a recently completed report on the market for semi gear and materials in China.

SINGAPORE -- Flextronics has signed separate agreements for the sale of its network services and semiconductor business units. Both deals were previously announced.

The transactions will generate aggregate upfront cash of more than $550 million plus additional deferred and contingent payments and a 30% ownership stake in the merged network services company. Both transactions are expected to close before the end of the September quarter.

TAIPEI -- Hon Hai Precision, which operates Foxconn, the second-largest electronics manufacturing services company, is pursuing an aggressive acquistion strategy, the company said this week.

The Taipei Times quoted Hon Hai chairman Terry Gou as saying, "We have been working on [more mergers]. We hope to settle one, or two deals in the second half of the year." Gou's comments were reportedly made after the company's annual shareholders' meeting.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) has announced the technical sessions for its annual conference, SMTA International, co-located with the Assembly Tech Expo show in Rosemont, IL, Sept.25-29.

The 1.5-hour technical sessions each present three technical papers under the direction of a chairman. They are arranged according to tracks on Manufacturing and Assembly, Advanced Packaging, Substrates, RoHS and Process Control, covering topics such as lead-free soldering and rework, HDI, RFID, microdevices, BGA reliability, CSP and flip-chip technologies, selective soldering, lead-free process control, leadless packaging, surface finishes, RoHS compliance, harsh environments and AOI.

The RFID mini-conference has three paper sessions on Production Lines, Tag Materials and Processing, and Applications in the Electronics Manufacturing Industry. Two new sessions will cover RoHS compliance. Technical papers on lead-free will address reflow and wave soldering, rework, key issues in lead-free/RoHS manufacturing, lead-free CSP reliability, HASL surface finishes, effects on PCBs, surface finishes, process control, and

RoHS test methods and compliance, customer and industry requirements, and due diligence approach to WEEE/RoHS compliance.

Organized by Dr. Paul T. Vianco of Sandia National Labs, the Lead-Free Soldering Symposium will consist of technical sessions organized by the Joint Council on Aging Aircraft / Joint Group on Pollution Prevention Lead-free Solder Consortia Project, as well as sessions on Process for Lead-free Implementation and Lead-free Reliability. 

The Contract Manufacturing Symposium, organized by Mike Buetow, UP Media Group/Circuits Assembly, will feature paper sessions on Mid-Tier

EMS Strategy and Models and Markets. 

Led by Dr. Reza Ghaffarian, Jet Propulsion Labs, the Emerging Technologies Summit will feature papers on Roadmaps, Turning Lead Into Gold and Advanced Power Technology.

For more info: smta.org/smtai

VANCOUVER— BRIO Technology Ltd., a Beijing-based electronics assembler, has set up a branch office here as part of a push into the North American EMS market.

Canada BRIO is positioned to provide customer management, BOM sourcing and technical communications, the company said.

“China today has evolved to become a global manufacturing base”, says Yang Tongxing, president and cofounder. “North America’s small- to mid-tier CMs/OEMs/ODMs have not been able to access Chinese EMS production opportunities enjoyed by larger competitors."

Founded in 1999, BRIO is one of China’s EMS pioneers. Its customer list includes GE, Motorola, Philips, JVC and Pioneer.

The company operates manufacturing facilities in Beijing and Shanghai, with a total of 16 SMT lines (Panasonic, Samsung and Juki).

NORWOOD, MA - Electrical and electronic product manufacturers seeking third-party certification in Canada and the U.S. now have a single point-of-service: U.S.-based testing laboratory FM Approvals. The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) has accredited the company as a testing and certification organization.  

The lab meets the SCC's administrative and technical criteria for (1) hazardous-location electrical equipment covering all protection methods recognized in Canada; (2) electrical and electronic products; and (3) fire-alarm-and-signaling equipment.

FM Approvals is already a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory in the U.S. The company approves and certifies products and services that meet its property loss prevention standards.

MILPITAS, CA -- Solectron Corp., has acquired a U.K.-based broker of electronics components for an undisclosed amount.

Solectron will merge the firm, ServiceSource Europe Ltd., with its electronics after-market services. SSE also provides component repair and service.

Carlsbad, CA – Alec J. Babiarz, senior vice president and founder of Asymtek, is one of four committee members elected to the IPC SMEMA (Surface-Mount Equipment Manufacturers Assoc.) Council Steering Committee. Other members elected for three-year terms include: Robert Muller, general manager commercial products at Teradyne ATD; Marc Peo, president of Heller Industries; and Jay Stepleton, general manager and VP for Agilent Technologies’ Manufacturing Test Business.

The Committee sets the agenda for the SMEMA Council, and creates new initiatives to improve supply chain efficiencies in the electronics manufacturing industry. One of its priorities is the organization of the Council’s Apex show.

Babiarz is co-developer in 31 patents worldwide for fluid dispensing equipment and has written numerous papers on fluid dispensing and jetting. He currently manages international sales and marketing at Asymtek, and serves as president of Nordson-Asymtek K.K., a division of the corporation in Japan.

NEW YORK -- The electronics industry appears to be gearing up for heavy air freight shipments this month, a major freight forwarder said today.

The activity comes, Trans World Logistics said, during a time when most of the Asia-Pacific region has returned to off-peak market conditions.  

BANNOCKBURN, IL – Working drafts of a pair of standards covering materials declaration are being circulated as the authoring organizations hope to help companies comply with the environmental reporting mandates set by RoHS and WEEE.

IPC, iNEMI and RosettaNet on June 10 jointly issued IPC-1751 and IPC-1752, describing company information, electronic data formats and standardized forms for information sharing.           

The draft standards will be available for industry review and comment for 60 days and are available at www.ipc.org/IPC-175X.