NORWALK, CT -- The global auto-ID market, worth approx. $13.9 billion in 2005, is expected to grow at an AAGR (average annual growth rate) of 15.8% to reach $28.9 billion by 2010, according to a new report.

Research from The Business Communication Company shows that the high growth rate of the market can be attributed to a higher demand for strong security solutions in different market verticals, such as government installations, financial services and mobile telephony. The need to automate business processes to minimize costs is another reason for the growth in the automobiles, aviation, retail and transportation sectors.

Some primary technologies in the market include smart cards, optical cards, RFID, barcodes and biometrics. The smart cards market is developing rapidly to accommodate the demands of immigration control. In the near future, biometric identification is expected to be used as the primary tool of identification.

BCC suggests that since it is intimately connected to the semiconductor industry, developments in areas such as high-density memory will boost growth in the auto-ID industry. The decrease in chip size and increase in processing power have led to the development of more complex applications. Therefore, auto-ID players have to keep up with new technologies to stay competitive.

Some older auto-ID technologies, such as barcodes, are expected to lose their market share to new technologies, such as RFID (which boasts greater storage capacity and more efficient data-capturing ability). Biometric identification may be integrated with smart cards in the form of passports and visas. Biometrics will also be used as a standalone application to provide security solutions to government installations and other sensitive locations.

San Diego — KIC, Henkel Technologies, Engent, Speedline Technologies, Cogiscan and OK International will co-sponsor a lead-free workshop on May 18-19, at the Henkel Technologies facility in Irvine, CA.

The hands-on training program is designed for engineers and engineering management, and will provide a broad knowledge of lead-free materials interactions, and an understanding of the process (including advantages and limitations). A sample lead-free board will be produced and taken away by each attendee.
 
· Dr. Neil Poole and Dr. Brian Toleno of Henkel Technologies will present on material interactions, surface mount adhesives, underfills, conformal coatings and alloy reliability.
· Dr. Daniel Baldwin of Engent will discuss process engineering methods, analytical tools and design of experiment (DOE).
· Francois Monette of Cogiscan Inc. will present on material logistics and identification, component compatibility and the impact of MSD.
· Marybeth Allen of KIC will discuss management of the thermal processes as they relate to the conversion to lead-free manufacturing.
· Grant Miller of OK International will present on rework with lead-free devices.
· Keith Howell of Speedline Technologies will present on wave and reflow processes.
 
The workshop will feature hands-on production floor training in the following areas:

· Screen printing surface mount adhesives and solder paste, and placement
· Reflow profiling
· Inspection/analytical
· Rework
· Wave.

HERNDON, VA— The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) has  added seven new members.

The following companies have joined the group in the past few months:
Coherent Inc. (Santa Clara, CA)— produces photonics-based solutions for commercial markets and scientific research. 
Henkel Corp. (Irvine, CA) —electronics material solutions from wafer-level to board-level and final assembly. 
NanoDynamics Inc. (Buffalo, NY) — produces nanomaterials for improved functionality and performance of a wide range of industrial and consumer products.
Nihon Superior Co. Ltd. (Osaka, Japan) — provides advanced soldering and brazing technologies and products for the metal-joining industry.
PCNalert (Pasadena, CA) — specializes in component event management, a discipline that synthesizes content, software applications and business processes.
Symbol Technologies Inc. (Holtsville, NY) - develops enterprise mobility products such as mobile computers, wireless infrastructure, barcode scanners and kiosks.
Total Parts Plus Inc. (Fort Walton Beach, FL) — offers obsolescence management products and services as well as detailed material content information services.
 
"iNEMI's success is directly attributable to the diversity and participation of our members. These new members represent both the global reach and the variation of companies that make up the industry's supply chain," said iNEMI CEO Jim McElroy.

SHANGHAI - Enthone Inc., the chemistries arm of Cookson Electronics, opened a $3 million technical service center in Shanghai. The facility will process functional and decorative coatings for use in automotive, plumbing and other surface finishing applications. In total, five plating lines will be installed for pre-treatment, plating and post-treatment chemical processing.

Hubb van Dun, president, said, "In 2004, Enthone achieved a breakthrough market position in aluminum wheel plating in Asia. We will continue to evaluate and invest in technologies, applications and markets that expand our Enthone chemistry business and support the needs of our worldwide customers."