Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - News

News

SAN JOSE – North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment reported $1.29 billion in 90-day average orders for March, up 2.7% sequentially, says SEMI.

Compared to March 2009, orders are up a giant 423%.

EL SEGUNDO – iSuppli Corp. raised its solar forecast, now predicting solar installations will rise to 13.6 GW in 2010, up 92.9% compared to 2009.

A surge in Germany sales and dropping prices prompted the firm to upgrade its forecast of installations of photovoltaic systems this year.

A previous February forecast was 8.3 GW worth of installations in 2010, up 64% from 2009.

Robust market conditions will be seen in the second and fourth quarters, compensating well for slower first and third quarters, says iSuppli.

By 2011, global PV installations will rise to 20.3 GW, nearly tripling 2009 levels.

NEENAH, WI – Plexus Corp. posted second-quarter net income of $20.7 million, compared with $5 million in the same quarter last year.

GAINESVILLE, GA – Count On Tools Inc. is offering free trial nozzles for SMT professionals.

Current customers are allowed to request any trial nozzle that they currently do not purchase from the company on a regular basis.

New customers are allowed to request any trial nozzle that fits their individual process requirements and is available in the standard range of products.

For more information, visit www.cotinc.com.

NEWARK, NY – EMS provider IEC Electronics Corp. reported fiscal second-quarter revenue of $25.2 million, up 55% year-over-year.

ST. LOUIS – LaBarge Inc. said it expects to report third-quarter net sales of approximately $74 million, up 7.2% sequentially and up 2.5% year-over-year.

ROSARITO, MEXICO – EMS provider Victron Inc. has opened a 30,000 sq.ft. manufacturing facility here.

TAIPEI – EMS giant Hon Hai Group (Foxconn) said it would develop plant factories using solar energy and LED lamps in collaboration with College of Bioresources, Agriculture of National Taiwan University, and Yunlin County Government, say published reports.

STOCKHOLM – EMS provider Note Ab reported year-to-date losses through February 28 were SEK 18.6 million, including restructuring and currency translation costs.

As part of a previously announced restructuring program, the company will discontinue production at its plants in Skänninge, Sweden, and Tauragé, Lithuania.

DEER VALLEY, AZ – Registration is open for the Symposium on Counterfeit Electronic Parts West, sponsored by the SMTA and CALCE. The event will take place June 8-11 near Phoenix.

The program is finalized and available at www.smta.org/counterfeit.

Analyst Mark Crawford of the US Department of Commerce will keynote the first day of the event, while Belva Martin from the US Government Accountability Office will keynote the second.

The symposium will include US law enforcement and supply chain panel discussions, as well as multiple other sessions.

The final two days will feature workshops led by CALCE/University of Maryland, DMSMS, IDEA, GIDEP, Integra Technologies, and the Global Intellectual Property Strategy Center.

NEW YORK – Electronics components remain in short supply, with major distributors upping lead times by as much as 100%.

MANASSAS, VA – Zestron Corp. now offers ion chromatography at its technical center here.

“The installation of ion chromatography is a direct response to the rapidly growing customer demand for premium precision cleaning facilities and services,” said Harald Wack, president of Zestron.

Ion chromatography is an analytical technique that validates product cleanliness based on the separation of the ionic species in a solution. In the case of circuit boards, ion chromatography can help identify high levels of ionic contaminants that can contribute to shortages.