News
In a report issued today, Deutsche Bank said Celestica CFO Anthony Puppi gave cautious forecast for end-market demand this year.
Celestica and Plexus said the March quarter is running to expectations, despite continuing pricing pressure. At the end of its latest, 15-month restructuring plan, Celestica expects capacity utilization to reach 70%.
Plexus CEO Dean Foate said that the EMS firm's top-line growth this year will be
primarily from new program ramps. The company has restructured several supply-chain agreements, "which should help drive improved working capital management in the March quarter and beyond," DB said.
Plexus also said an acquisition or greenfield expansion in Eastern Europe was a possibility.
The company expects its Penang, Malaysia, plant will reach breakeven by late in the third quarter, DB said..
Accutronix is a privately-held electronics manufacturer with 47 employees in Owingsville, KY.
Mark Fulks, senior vice president at Key, becomes general manager for the Kentucky operation.
Key employs about 100 workers at its New Albany factory, and is constructing a 104,000 sq. ft. office and manufacturing facility in Jeffersonville, IN. The new plant is scheduled to be opened this summer.
SAN JOSE, Jan. 10 -- SEMI
and the Semiconductor Industry Association today announced a joint study on nanotechnology
applications for electronics. The study will provide
definition of the rapidly-emerging global nanoelectronic markets and
look at requirements and opportunities for
equipment and materials suppliers.
The study, tentatively titled Global Nanoelectronics Markets and Opportunities, will be
available in the third quarter. The report will be based on
interviews with industry executives in China, Europe, Japan, Korea,
North America, Taiwan and other regions.
"Nanosciences are a new frontier of technologic pursuit. They have
numerous potential market applications in the electronics industries
and represent great opportunities for those that provide the enabling
materials, processes and systems to exploit them," said SEMI president
and CEO Stanley Myers. "We are pleased to partner with the SIA and to
leverage our combined research capabilities and industry relationships
in order to provide an authoritative resource on this quickly
developing field."
"The nanoelectronics era will revolutionize the semiconductor
industry as we utilize new materials, new device structures and new
assembly methods to extend Moore's Law," said SIA president George
Scalise. "This study will provide quantified insight and in-depth
analysis to help companies understand the new landscape and to focus
their business and investment strategies on applications with the
greatest opportunities for commercialization."
The report will identify the current and planned nanotechnology
activities of semiconductor, display, storage, optoelectronic, sensor
and MEMS companies. Additionally, equipment and materials process
technologies, applications, requirements and opportunities will be
defined.
Nanotechnology equipment and materials market size will be provided
by business segment and 5,10 and15-year market forecasts will be
presented based on various scenarios of new technology penetration.
The single-user cost of the study ordered prior to August 31, 2005
will be $4,000 for SEMI and SIA members and $5,000 for non-members.
After August 31, the cost will be $5,000 for SEMI and SIA members and
$6,500 for non-members. Multi-user license may be purchased for $12,500
for SEMI and SIA members and $15,000 for non-members.
For additional information, or to place an order for Global
Nanoelectronics Markets and Opportunities, go to www.semi.org or call
SEMI customer service at +1.408.943.6900.
The 101,000 sq. ft. Wylie plant is home to Lone Star Circuits, which IPS acquired last November in what is considered a reverse takeover.
The company said it would close its PC Dynamics manufacturing plant located in Frisco, TX. PC Dynamics is a wholly owned subsidiary of IPFS.
The firm said it has begun duplicating processes at its Wylie site and should have all of the new lines running within the next eight weeks.
Robert LaGuerra states that differing factors around the world are driving this growth for automotive-specific semiconductors. For example, in Europe and Asia, smaller engines are the norm and there is a defined need to match their performance with those of larger displacement engines. To maximize the performance of these smaller engines, advanced engine management technologies including displacement on demand, variable valve timing and direct fuel injection are being aggressively rolled out in these regions.
The same is happening in the U.S., although this is predominantly due to rising fuel costs and CAFE standards. More specifically, new government legislation mandates that automakers must implement advanced airbag safety systems and tire pressure monitoring systems into future car lines.
LaGuerra cautions, "Automotive processors are proliferating, but in some applications adding too many components that are intended to make the car more reliable, may actually reduce reliability." He adds that in some situations, the industry will actually look to simplify things using fewer, heavier-duty processors.
Abstracts of 200-300 words are due to conference coordinator Kristin Nafstad (kristin@smta.org) by March 1. Written papers are not required.
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