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SIOUX FALLS, SD -- Raven Industries today reported record sales and earnings for its fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2006. Net sales rose 22% to $204.5 million and net income climbed 36% to $24.3 million.

For the fourth quarter, net sales were up 24% to $54.4 million while net income jumped 50% to $5.5 million. Raven makes various end products and films, and performs electronics manufacturing services.

HONG KONG -- Nam Tai Electronics Inc., an electronics manufacturing services provider, reported fourth quarter net sales of $247 million, far surpassing the upper end of company guidance and up 62% over same period in 2004.

For the year, the company reported revenues of $797 million, up increase 49% over 2004 and exceeded our guidance of 30% to 35%. Operating income for 2005 was US$52.6 million, an increase of 21%.

It was the company's fifth consecutive record sales quarter and seventh straight year of sales growth. Operating income rose for the fourth straight year.

ATLANTA -- Circuits Assembly today launched its new Web log featuring up-to-the-minute reports and commentary on the electronics manufacturing industry.

The Web log (or "blog") is managed by Circuits Assembly editor in chief Mike Buetow, and will feature regular commentary from several leading technologists.

The blog is located at http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/.

ENDICOTT, NY – Endicott Interconnect and VisiLED have entered a development and manufacturing agreement for medical devices. EI’s Precision Equipment Manufacturing team will provide contract manufacturing services, including prototype fabrication, product development, manufacture and test of LED lights. The first devices produced by EI directly replace existing overhead operating room lights and will be available for sale in the second quarter of the year.

VisiLED develops LED-based lighting systems for use in surgical suites, medical and dental exam rooms. These devices replace current halogen and xenon bulb technology with smaller, LED light sources which reduce power consumption, heat generation and device weight, while providing greater light intensity and improved light color. Other products under development include an endoscope light, used for examination and photography within the human body, and a device for illuminating deep cavities during surgery.

New York – The introduction of Microsoft's Vista in the second half of the year will drive PC demand as users upgrade to higher performing PCs to maximize the benefits of the improved OS, according to Deutsche Bank analysts.

Users may migrate to systems with dual-core processors, 1GB+ RAM and enhanced GPUs, particularly mobile users and those who favor video editing or high-end gaming. DB believes Vista will spur a positive mix-shift across the PC industry, reversing the recent shift towards low-end desktops and notebooks.

ATLANTA– Jabil Circuit, the Georgia Institute of Technology, GTC, Universal Instruments and Vitronics Soltec recently completed a pilot test to demonstrate the speed and viability of CAMX software for electronics manufacturers. CAMX aims to quickly and effectively gather, compile and communicate data essential for manufacturers as they seek to address regulatory requirements and control costs.

The pilot took place at Jabil’s Billerica, MA, manufacturing facility in October 2005. The test team installed software and configured vital equipment in minutes. A number of CAMX events identified by Jabil for the pilot were collected and displayed throughout Jabil’s global enterprise using real-time, Web-based applications.

Since CAMX is based upon international standards, the time spent on configuring systems was minimal. The test also showed that critical machine and manufacturing data were exchanged accurately and efficiently.

Jim Jacobson, director of software product development for Universal, said, "The test proved that CAMX will enable more of our customers to easily monitor and collect machine performance data."

As demonstrated by the pilot test, CAMX can simplify and improve the speed of communications, while providing a non-proprietary standard platform for message exchange for manufacturers.