SAN JOSE — The 90-day moving average worldwide sales of semiconductors slipped 1.1% sequentially to $25.2 billion in February, on seasonality swings. Sales rose 13.6% from a year ago.

EMPALME, SONORA, MEXICO -- Arc-Tronics, a US-based contract manufacturer, will open a facility here and expects to hire up to 125 workers for the site.

OXFORD, CT – MIRTEC reported first-quarter 2011 revenue growth of more than 58% year-over-year for its North American sales and service division.

Fiscal 2010 sales grew more than 62% compared to 2009.

The firm attributes this growth to its MV-7 inline AOI product series.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Weak demand in Europe and the US has 2011 off to a slow start for PCs, a leading analyst said today.

STOCKHOLM – Pick-and-place OEM Mydata reported 2010 net sales rose 30% year-over-year to SEK 615 million ($96.9 million), buoyed by an industrywide jump in demand for SMT equipment.

DULUTH, GA – Texas Instruments said it would purchase National Semiconductor for about $6.5 billion cash.

ARLINGTON, VA -- The Electronic Components Industry Association has published status reports from electronics component manufacturers affected by the Japan earthquake and tsunami, and says there is little cause for concern over contamination of electronics goods.

LOS ANGELES -- In a surprise move, Ducommun Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all outstanding stock and debt of electronics manufacturing services firm LaBarge for $340 million, subject to approval by LaBarge shareholders and other closing conditions.

TAIPEI – Foxconn International Holdings, the cellphone manufacturing arm of the world’s largest electronics ODM, said it would sell assets to the parent company after reporting a steep drop in annual profits.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Japan's earthquake and resultant impact the global electronics supply chain will be the focus of an IHS iSuppli webinar this morning.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Semiconductor sales fell sequentially in the fourth quarter, the first sequential drop in 18 months.

SAN JOSE -- The heads of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Semiconductor Industry Association sent a detailed letter to Congress yesterday advocating for immigration reform.