MARKHAM, CANADA – EMS provider Microart Services plans to expand its Ontario facility, adding 20,000 sq. ft. to support continued growth. Microart took possession of the newly acquired space on Mar. 3 and expects operations to be in volume production before the end of April.

BILLINGSTAD, NORWAY -- Kitron today provided updates on its EMS business situation, saying all factories are operating as normal with no major disruptions.

TORONTO -- Celestica today withdrew its previously announced first quarter financial guidance, citing government-driven factory shutdowns stemming from the Covid-19 outbreak.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The best papers from SMTA International 2019 were announced. Chris Gourlay, Imperial College London, won the Best of Proceedings category for the paper "Phase Formation and Solid Solubility in High-Reliability Pb-Free Solders Containing Bi, Sb, In."

LYON, FRANCE – Fan-out packaging adoption has grown in the past year, with TSMC the leader, according to a new report from System Plus Consulting and partner Yole Développement. Samsung subsidiary Semco is most likely second, say the firms, with PTI as a potential OSAT outsider in FO.

SAN MATEO – San Francisco Circuits said Bay Area employees are currently working from home after health officers issued a shelter-in-place announcement from Mar. 17 to Apr. 7 in response to the Covid-19 outbreak.

DONGGUAN, CHINA – SMTC has completed the closure of its manufacturing operations here.

BATANGAS, PHILIPPINES – The Department of Labor and Employment said at least 3,000 jobs from an electronics manufacturing firm here are now available in March and April for workers who may have been displaced from the effects of Covid-19.

TEMPE, AZ -- Benchmark Electronics today said it will not achieve its first quarter 2020 financial guidance the company provided on Feb. 6 due to the impact from the coronavirus.

BRUSSELS – Calling the ban “unlawful,” the International Bromine Council has filed a legal challenge against the European Commission's barring of halogenated flame retardants in electronic displays under the EU Ecodesign Directive, according to reports.

BALTIMORE, MD – Zentech Manufacturing acquired Bloomington, IL-based EMS firm CAMtek for an undisclosed sum.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – Electronics manufacturers experiencing supply disruptions report they expect five-week shipment delays on average, but a majority of electronics manufacturers and suppliers expect business operations to be “back to normal” by July, according to a new IPC survey. Collectively, 75% of all respondents expect business to be back to normal by October.