GLASSBORO, NJ -- Essemtec (essemtec.com), an SMT production equipment manufacturer, will be one of the exhibitors at the 9^th Annual SMTA Atlanta Expo, scheduled for April 21 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, GA.

The company, represented in the Circuit Technology Inc. booth, will showcase its pick-and-place machine with dispenser.
 
In 1997, the Surfact Mount Technology Association (smta.org) offered its first tabletop Vendor Day at several chapter locations and has continued to hold new and annual Vendor Days. The one-day events are popular among industry suppliers. The Atlanta Expo will take place from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., and will offer six free technical sessions on lead-free and other topics.

The mini peak season for air freight that started in early March -- and then built momentum -- is expected to continue through the end of April. To date, all regions of Asia and the Indian Subcontinent have experienced strong demand for airlift, rate pressure from carriers and longer transit times, according to Hong Kong-based Trans Global Logistics (www.tglogistics.net).

Many origin gateways that had adequate space to meet demand have had to contend with cargo backlogs at transit hubs. The greatest rate pressure has been felt in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taiwan.

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Bannockburn, IL -- Four new committee members have been elected to the IPC SMEMA (Surface Mount Equipment Manufacturers Association) Council Steering Committee.

 

The following were elected to three-year terms: Alec Babiarz, senior vice president, Asymtek; Robert Muller, general manager commercial products, Teradyne Assembly Test Division; Marc Peo, president, Heller Industries; and Jay Stepleton, general manager and vice president, Agilent Technologies Manufacturing Test Business Unit.

 

Pierre de Villeméjane, president of Speedline Technologies and the new chairman-elect, will begin his term at Apex 2006. Gerhard Meese, executive VP of Dover Technologies, currently serves as steering committee chairman and representative to the IPC Board of Directors.

The committee sets the agenda for the SMEMA Council and creates other initiatives to improve supply chain efficiencies in the electronics manufacturing industry. It also organizes the Apex show.

Oyster Bay, NY -- Tiny TVs have been around for decades without having much impact. That's about to change, as new technologies will enable mobile phone users to watch high quality, full-motion video on their small screens, according to a new report.

ABI Research predicts subscribers will also be able to access linked content and buy program-related products and services from their wireless service providers.

Analyst Ken Hyers says that the new services will be based on a one-to-many model like conventional broadcast TV, rather than using the restricted bandwidth of mobile data networks.

Next month these digital video broadcast networks will launch in Japan and South Korea, with similar services to debut in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere by early 2007. The content will largely mimic that of the short clips now available from some mobile services: news headlines, sports, children's programs, drama "Mobisodes" and music videos.

Mobile broadcast video networks won't be run by mobile operators. In the U.S., Qualcomm and Crown Castle are launching the first services. Mobile operators will provide enhanced content -- ringtones, sports statistics, fan club materials, etc -- linked to the topic they've just viewed as TV.

"This is going to be spectacular," Hyers said in a press release. "It's going to be worth a lot of money. It's not an understatement to say that this is going to be a new goldmine for wireless operators."