TATABANYA, HUNGARY – Electronics manufacturing services firm Sanmina-SCI’s local subsidiary is hiring 150 staff to meet rising demand, according to local reports.

The site currently employs some 1,000 employees, and is back to pre-2008 levels after halving the headcount during the recession.

Revenues will return to pre-crisis levels by the end of 2011, the firm says.

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – Strong global demand for metals such as tin and silver is driving up metal costs to all time highs, says Alpha.

Investors relying particularly on silver as an alternative investment are creating an additional price pressure, says the firm.

In early March silver surged to more than $36 per troy ounce.

In March 2007, tin had surged from $7,000 metric ton to $14,000 per metric ton. Today's levels are more than $28,000 per metric ton, says Alpha.

WARSAW – Essemtec has founded a subsidiary here to improve direct customer relationships and increase sales and marketing activities in Eastern Europe.

Essemtec Poland will sell automatic production systems and turnkey solutions for SMT production, including printing, dispensing, pick-and-place, reflow soldering, storage and handling.

The site’s managing and sales director, Miroslaw Borkowski, previously worked for PB Technik, Essemtec's representative in Poland.

HELSINKI, FINLAND -- Elcoteq narrowed its fourth-quarter net loss on a slight uptick in revenue, the EMS company said today.