VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Nam Tai Electronics Inc. has merged two of its subsidiaries, Nam Tai Electronic & Electrical Products Ltd. and Namtek Software Development Co. Ltd.

NTEEP has entered into a sale and purchase agreement with Nam Tai and Asano Co. for the acquisition of 80% and 20% interests in Namtek, respectively. The total cost of the acquisition is approx. $26.7 million, and will be satisfied by issuance of new shares of NTEEP to Nam Tai and Asano. The merger should be complete by the end of May 2005.

" We believe the merger of NTEEP and Namtek will enable the company to simplify its corporate structure, strengthen its management team, which will in turn support its continuous growth," said Joseph Li, CEO of Nam Tai. "Integration of NTEEP's manufacturing capability with Namtek's software development capability will result in significant competitive advantages. By sharing resources, the two operations will also be able to achieve higher operational efficiency, capabilities, profitablities and scalabilities."

Namtek offers a range of services on software development, data processing and compression and electronic hardware design and development, specializing in digital dictionaries and car navigation systems. It will become a wholly owned subsidiary of NTEEP after the acquisition is completed.

GLASSBORO, NJ -- Essemtec (essemtec.com), an SMT production equipment manufacturer, will be one of the exhibitors at the 9^th Annual SMTA Atlanta Expo, scheduled for April 21 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, GA.

The company, represented in the Circuit Technology Inc. booth, will showcase its pick-and-place machine with dispenser.
 
In 1997, the Surfact Mount Technology Association (smta.org) offered its first tabletop Vendor Day at several chapter locations and has continued to hold new and annual Vendor Days. The one-day events are popular among industry suppliers. The Atlanta Expo will take place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and will offer six free technical sessions on lead-free and other topics.

The mini peak season for air freight that started in early March -- and then built momentum -- is expected to continue through the end of April. To date, all regions of Asia and the Indian Subcontinent have experienced strong demand for airlift, rate pressure from carriers and longer transit times, according to Hong Kong-based Trans Global Logistics (www.tglogistics.net).

Many origin gateways that had adequate space to meet demand have had to contend with cargo backlogs at transit hubs. The greatest rate pressure has been felt in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taiwan.

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Bannockburn, IL -- Four new committee members have been elected to the IPC SMEMA (Surface Mount Equipment Manufacturers Association) Council Steering Committee.

 

The following were elected to three-year terms: Alec Babiarz, senior vice president, Asymtek; Robert Muller, general manager commercial products, Teradyne Assembly Test Division; Marc Peo, president, Heller Industries; and Jay Stepleton, general manager and vice president, Agilent Technologies Manufacturing Test Business Unit.

 

Pierre de Villeméjane, president of Speedline Technologies and the new chairman-elect, will begin his term at Apex 2006. Gerhard Meese, executive VP of Dover Technologies, currently serves as steering committee chairman and representative to the IPC Board of Directors.

The committee sets the agenda for the SMEMA Council and creates other initiatives to improve supply chain efficiencies in the electronics manufacturing industry. It also organizes the Apex show.

Oyster Bay, NY -- Tiny TVs have been around for decades without having much impact. That's about to change, as new technologies will enable mobile phone users to watch high quality, full-motion video on their small screens, according to a new report.

ABI Research predicts subscribers will also be able to access linked content and buy program-related products and services from their wireless service providers.

Analyst Ken Hyers says that the new services will be based on a one-to-many model like conventional broadcast TV, rather than using the restricted bandwidth of mobile data networks.

Next month these digital video broadcast networks will launch in Japan and South Korea, with similar services to debut in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere by early 2007. The content will largely mimic that of the short clips now available from some mobile services: news headlines, sports, children's programs, drama "Mobisodes" and music videos.

Mobile broadcast video networks won't be run by mobile operators. In the U.S., Qualcomm and Crown Castle are launching the first services. Mobile operators will provide enhanced content -- ringtones, sports statistics, fan club materials, etc -- linked to the topic they've just viewed as TV.

"This is going to be spectacular," Hyers said in a press release. "It's going to be worth a lot of money. It's not an understatement to say that this is going to be a new goldmine for wireless operators."

Teddington, UK, April 11 -- With the forthcoming ban on the use of lead, there is a need to develop a test method to measure the internal stresses in the coatings of electronic components, based on the XRD technique. These internal stresses are a potential cause of whisker growth in lead-free finishes.

According to a recently released report, XRD measurement correlates to measured compressive residual stress on coatings with whisker growth. Three coatings with high compressive residual stress also exhibited whiskering. However, the coatings evaluated were all at least twice as thick as penetration depth of the XRD measurement system, and the measured compressive residual stress values did not start to increase until after the formation of tin whiskers. However, the XRD method did provide some correlation between residual stress in the coatings and the extent of whisker growth.

The findings were released as a part of the National Physical Laboratory's Phase 2 Studio Project to understand tin whiskers.

 

For more information contact Dr. Chris Hunt: Lchris.hunt@npl.co.uk.

 

 

Willow Grove, PA - Albert Soffa, co-founder of Kulicke & Soffa Industries and pioneer of the first wire bonder, died on Sunday.  He was 84.
 
An engineering maverick who helped shape today's modern IC packaging industry, Soffa formed a partnership with Frederick W. Kulicke, Jr. in 1951, which eventually became Kulicke & Soffa Industries.
 
"Al Soffa was one of the true pioneers in the development of modern semiconductor equipment," noted K& S chairman and CEO Scott Kulicke. "Through his innovation with my father, they introduced the first manual and automatic wire bonders, which opened the doors to the manufacture of more advanced IC technology."
 

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According to estimates by leading players and ITIS research, local Taiwanese PCB makers will suffer a slight margin drop from last year's 13.6% amid tight supply of materials, such as polyimide and glass yarn, and weak demand. 

Constrained by weak demand and less working days in February, industry players hinted flexible PCB demand bottomed out in Feb and orders started picking up from March. Industry players expect April orders to grow 20-40% from March orders, DigiTimes said.

 

IRVING, TX — EMS provider Elcoteq Network Corp. has opened a new plant in Bangalore, India, and will manufacture telecommunications equipment there. The facility will employ approx. 1,000 people and manufacture products, including mobile phones and communications network equipment, for global customers operating in India and the Asia-Pacific.

"With a population of over one billion people, mobile-phone penetration of a mere 3% and a telecom services market growing at over 100% annually, India represents one of the most exciting regions for handset OEMs and EMS providers," said president and CEO Jouni Hartikainen. "Given the huge opportunity, cost advantages, availability of highly skilled manpower, infrastructure and software development facilities, proximity of key suppliers and the government's agenda for telecommunications and electronics manufacturing, we find this an extremely attractive location."

"This inauguration is more than the launch of a manufacturing facility. It is about revolutionizing the EMS sector in India and tapping the vast opportunities it offers. The telecommunications sector in India has surpassed all forecasts," added chairman Antii Piippo.

 

 

ARLINGTON, VA - After bouncing back in February from the annual January dip, electronic component orders took a slight downturn in March, according to the monthly order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA).

 

 

"Many manufacturers believed that this year's first quarter would be a repeat of the strong growth in Q1 2004," said Bob Willis, ECA president. "Depending on what happens with end markets, the fluctuations might continue into the second quarter." 

 

In addition to general industry caution, Willis sites factors such as the rising price of wholesale oil, trade imbalance and the federal deficit having a dampening effect on the market.

 

 

The ECA represents manufacturers and producers of passive and active electronic components, component arrays and assemblies, and materials and support services. It is a sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) that reportedly represents 80% of the U.S. electronics industry. 

 

 

April 8 -- PBR Seminars will launch "Differential Traces and Impedance," a two-hour technical Webinar, on April 27 from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. PDT (1-3 p.m. EDT). Doug Brooks, a signal integrity expert who regularly speaks at the PCB Design Conferences, is the featured speaker.

 

According to Brooks, differential circuits and differential signaling are becoming more common on today's PCBs. Differential circuits have several advantages over their single-ended counterparts, including a better signal/noise ratio, more precise signal timing and immunity from external noise sources. Brooks will explain the advantages and disadvantages of differential circuits compared to single-ended circuits, and cover the sometimes confusing issue of common-mode noise as it applies to each type of circuit.

For more information or to register, visit www.pbrseminars.com.The Webcast will also be available after the seminar, and additional Webinars will be announced soon.

PBR Seminars is a joint venture between UP Media Group and PCB007.

Eindhoven, The Netherlands, April 8 -- Assembléon, has appointed APS France Equipments to represent its SMT placement line in France. APS is a member of the Propelec S.A. group, which represents Assembléon in Spain and Portugal.

Assembléon's director region Europe, Ton Cornelissen, said, "Propelec has a very positive attitude to the SMT market and to its customers ... We've shared a very satisfying relationship with the Propelec group in Spain, and have every confidence in the company's capability to represent us in France in cooperation with Assembléon France SAS."