SMYRNA, GA – More than 2,500 PCB designers, fabricators and assemblers registered for Virtual PCB (virtual-pcb.com), the industry's only virtual trade show and conference, which is taking place this week.

TAIPEI – Last week’s earthquake in Chile, the largest producer of copper, could push electronics component prices higher as a result of a sustained surge in metal prices.

TEMPE, AZ – Manufacturing continued to grow in February, but the rate of growth decelerated, as the PMI registered 56.5%, a decrease of 1.9 percentage points sequentially, says the Institute for Supply Management.

A reading above 50% indicates the manufacturing economy is generally expanding.

New Orders registered 59.5%, down 6.4 percentage points. Production was 58.4%, down 7.8 points. Inventories contracted at a slower rate in February, as the index registered 47.3%, up 0.8 points. Customer Inventories grew 5 points to 37%, and Backlogs hit 61%, also up 5 points.

“The manufacturing sector grew for the seventh consecutive month during February. While New Orders and Production were not as strong as in January, they still show significant month-over-month growth,” said ISM spokesperson Norbert J. Ore in a press release.

The Employment Index was up 2.8 percentage points for the month to 56.1%, the third consecutive month of growth.

The overall economy grew for the 10th consecutive month, says ISM.

EVERYWHERE -- A series of moderated technical chats on everything from prototype design to tin whiskers highlight Virtual PCB, the online conference and trade show that kicks off today.