NEW YORK -- The World Trade Organization this week opened a formal investigation on allegations that China is providing a safe haven for product piracy and counterfeiting.

The WTO panel's scope will be limited to whether Beijing has taken sufficient action to protect IP rights, but it could ultimately authorize U.S. trade sanctions against China valued at billions of dollars annually -- the amount the U.S. claims its companies lose because of China's alleged lax enforcement. A final decision could take years.

China publicy complained about the measure, which the country blames on the U.S. It said it is going after companies and invidivuals who infringe U.S. copyrights and trademarks, and the U.S.'s actions could hurt trade relations between the two nations.

China last month blocked a U.S.-led attempt to form a panel. WTO rules prevented the country from delaying the investigation a second time.

NASHVILLE — Kyzen Corp. today announced the inauguration of its Know the Score! database, a single point of reference for the extensive test data the supplier of cleaning materials has built over the years.

Over the course of years, Kyzen's labs have conducted extensive test protocols, collecting tens of thousands of data points from legacy IT systems that are spread throughout the company's global operations. The new tool permits real-time access to these vast data, permitting an accurate, statistically validated product and process recommendation.

“We now have real-time access to every data point Kyzen collects worldwide — in one place,” said Ram Wissel, engineering manager, in a prepared statement. “This will speed both product development and technical support on a global basis, adding value to our customer development programs and routine daily operations.”

Kyzen is the winner of the 2007 Circuits Assembly Service Excellence Award for Cleaning Materials, based on direct feedback from users.

ORLANDO, FL -- The SMTA's Moisture Sensitive Devices Council will meet hold an open session Oct. 10, in Orlando.

The group, which is chaired by Mumtaz Bora of Kyocera and Michelle Ogihara of Seika Machinery,
will review industry standards (J-STD-033B, J-STD-020D), moisture and reflow classification for lead-free passives, PWB and lead-free package handling, problem avoidance, failure modes of lead-free assembly, and classification of packages such as SiP/SoP/PoP, among other topics.

There is no charge to attend the meeting, which begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Gaylord Palms Hotel, in conjunction with SMTAI.

CARLSBAD, CA -- Asymtek has opened a technical support and sales office in Chennai, India, to keep up with a fast-growing region for electronics assembly that is host to many of the company's customers.

Asymtek established the facility to support the area’s expanding markets and offer local support. The new office is colocated with parent company Nordson Corp., and provides on-site equipment service, training and applications assistance

N. Shivakumar was named regional sales manager, responsible for Chennai’s operations, including applications engineering, sales and service for Asymtek’s complete line of dispensing and conformal coating products. He also oversees the region’s distributor network and works closely with Asymtek’s regional sales managers and technical support departments.

Shivakumar has over 13 years' experience in sales and business development in India, including five years in capital equipment sales.