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EDINA, MN – The SMTA seeks abstracts for the Pan Pacific 2009 Symposium.

The program committee seeks participants to present recent research results on any of the following topics: business; packaging; interconnection; markets; assembly; microsystems and nanosystems technology, and solar electronics.

Abstracts of 500 words should be submitted by July 31, with title and author contact information.

For online submissions, visit smta.org/panpac/call_for_papers.cfm or submit abstracts to JoAnn Stromberg at joann@smta.org.

GENEVA – The US and Japan have filed complaints with the World Trade Organization over tariffs the European Union imposes on certain electronics devices.

MIDLAND, MI – Dow Epoxy plans to raise prices in North America and other world regions as necessary, in response to the current climate of rising costs and shrinking margins.

“Profit margins have substantially eroded in the face of step-change hydrocarbon and energy and other manufacturing costs, and the situation shows no signs of improvement,” said Patrick Ho, business group president, Dow Epoxy & Specialty Chemicals. “We have absorbed our share of the increased costs, but we have no more room and must act immediately and definitively to ensure our business is healthy over the long-term.”

The business is currently meeting with customers to discuss market issues and upward price movement primarily driven by rising costs. Dow incurred new hydrocarbon and energy costs of greater than $2 billion in the first quarter of 2008, and an additional $665 million so far in the second, the company said.

FAIRFIELD, CT – LG Electronics and Haier Group have been cited as potential buyers of General Electric’s appliances unit, according to GE’s CEO Jeffrey Immelt, say published reports. However, the firms aren’t speaking on the record.

SEATTLE – The global semiconductor market is expected to grow 4.7% to $267.7 billion in 2008, up from 3.2% in 2007, according to the revised forecast of the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics.

ANAHEIM, CA – The military and defense work that has buoyed the North American PCB industry the past five years won’t last forever. But companies that focus on developing sectors – including energy – can take advantage of the inevitable landscape changes.

That was the consensus of an expert panel last week at the SMTA Los Angeles/Orange County chapter during its monthly meeting. The discussion, A Winning Strategy for Today’s Global Electronics Assembly Industry, focused mainly on the economy, Lean and lead-free.