TAIPEI – Foxconn is planning to invest T$25 billion ($820 million) in the next three years in new manufacturing facilities in southern Taiwan to support its electric vehicle ambitions, the company said on Sunday.

NEVADA CITY, CA – The top 50 EMS companies in the world accounted for $457 billion in revenue in 2022 – an increase of $40 billion from 2021, according to a report from Manufacturing Market Insider.

WASHINGTON – Global semiconductor industry sales totaled $39.7 billion during the month of February 2023, a decrease of 4% compared to the January 2023 total of $41.3 billion and 20.7% less than the February 2022 total of $50 billion, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.

TAIPEI – Global notebook shipments reached 33.9 million units in the first quarter of 2023, a 13% QoQ and 39% YoY decline, according to the latest research by TrendForce.

NEEDHAM, MA – International Data Corporation has lowered its 2023 forecast for worldwide IT spending for the fifth consecutive month as technology investments continue to show the impact of a weakening economy.

CONKLIN, NY – Universal Instruments has appointed Brad Bennett as president, succeeding Jean-Luc Pelissier, the company’s CEO and president for the past 16 years who will retire after a brief transition phase.

TAIPEI – Foxconn saw its first quarter revenue rise 3.9% year-on-year, but warned that sales for the current quarter would be down.

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The discounted price for the PCB East 2023 technical conference ends April 7, conference organizers said today. From April 8 through May 7, registrants will pay the advanced conference price, which is $100 more than the “early bird” rate.

BALTIMORE, MD – Zentech Manufacturing’s Board of Directors has appointed Michael D. Buseman as the company's new president and CEO. Buseman will be succeeding current President and CEO Steve Pudles, who will remain with the company as an advisor and board member.

WASHINGTON DC – The US Department of Energy has announced $50 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for states to accelerate the use of Smart Manufacturing technologies through providing access to tools and assistance.

Speaking, as we were last month, about the current environment for electronics production, we noted the well-publicized layoffs at several blue-chip companies. Tech brands such as HP, Dell and Microsoft all announced pending workforce reductions through direct cuts and attrition ranging from 4,000 up to 12,000.

But insofar as the electronics design to manufacturing supply chain is concerned, jobs are plentiful and hiring proceeds apace. That's according to several tech recruiters and job search experts we spoke with last month.

In fact, companies in our space are ramping recruiting for positions at all levels, from techs to upper management. And some new trends are appearing, especially as firms look to gain a tighter hold on hard-won customers.

SAN JOSE -- Despite a cyclical market downturn that took hold during the second half of 2022, global semiconductor sales reached an all-time high of $574 billion for the year, an increase of 3.3% over 2021 sales.