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TAMPA, FL, Aug. 9 -- Reptron Electronics has signed a multimillion dollar contract to build electronics assemblies for Clear-Com Communication Systems.

"This is an important business development for Reptron that increases our capacity to provide manufacturing services for the communications industry sector," said Bonnie Fena, president of Reptron Manufacturing Services.

Full production is expected to ramp by the end of 2004.

Under the deal, Reptron will build 150 different subassemblies and PCBs for wired and wireless intercommunications products. Much of the current phase involves converting from plated through-hole to to surface mount technology.

Clinton, NY -- Indium Corp. (indium.com) has released the results of a series of cleaning solvent compatibility evaluations. After extensive testing and analysis, the company found a high degree of effectiveness using a range of cleaning solvents from Zestron and Kyzen for the Indium's solder pastes, including lead-free.

The data are available by contacting abrown@indium.com.

Indium is a supplier of electronics assembly materials, including solder pastes, solder preforms, fluxes, lead-free solder alloys, underfill materials and die-attach materials.

YAVNE, Israel -- Aug. 2 -- Orbotech today reported second-quarter sales of $77.5 million, up 15% sequentially and 42% from a year ago.

Net income was $8.6 million, vs. $5.1 million last quarter and $1.2 million last year.

First-half revenues were up 33% to $144.7 million and net income rose 491% to $13.6 million.

PCB equipment sales were $29.4 million, up from $23.2 million sequentially and $18.5 million last year. Sales of assembly equipment were $8.8 million, up from $6.6 million in the first quarter and $6.1 million a year ago.

Cash and equivalents increased $14 million to $166 million during the quarter.

"Our confidence in the long-term growth prospects of these industries continues to be high," said CEO Yochai Richter in a press statement.

WILLOW GROVE, PA -- Aug. 3 -- Tyco Electronics' David Wang will present a lead-free seminar during Nepcon Shenzhen next month, the company announced today.

Wang's talk will focus on enabling technologies and processes for higher quality and lower costs in a lead-free environment. Also on tap: overviews of press fit and pin insertion technology, and selective soldering .

The one-hour presentation takes place Sept. 1 at 2 p.m.

Contrary to published reports, Nepcon Shenzhen will take place at the China Hi-Tech Fair Exhibition Centre in Shenzhen, not Beijing. For more information click here (www.nepconchina.com).

GELDERN, Germany -- Aug. 3 -- Germany's two largest producers of printed circuit boards have signed a wide-reaching agreement that binds the companies respective sales, purchasing and technology teams.

Ruwel AG and Fuba Printed Circuits, which have joint sales of 270 million euros (about $325 million), say their combined buying power has the potential for "considerable savings" on raw materials. The companies also plan to coordinate sales and production efforts, in order to reverse downward pricing pressure and benefit from economies of scale.

Ruwell operates plants in Goch, Wetter, Grassau, Pfullingen, Nykøbing and and two in Geldern.

Fuba has plants in Gittelde, Dresden, and has JVs in Tunisia and India. The capacity of the Tunisia factory was recently increased by 80,000 m², to 200,000 m² per annum. Additional expansion will take it to 320,000 m² by year-end.

Montreal, Aug. 3 -- Coreco Inc. posted its highest quarterly revenues in three years as second-quarter sales rose 27% to $6.2 million.

Net income almost doubled vs. a year ago, to $552,849. Sales were up 17% sequentially.

Gross margins increased to 61.1% of sales from 58.7% last year and 60.7% last quarter.

Coreco, which makes frame grabbers and other products and software for machine vision equipment, said all major geographic markets saw higher sales, with Asia up 46%, the U.S. up 28% and Europe up 13%. Asia accounted for 30% of total sales, North America for 45% and Europe for 25%.

"Our second quarter continued the surge in results that we reported in the first quarter," said Keith Reuben, CEO, in a press statement. "We are pleased by the renewed strength in all our geographic markets as well as among our core OEM customers in the semiconductor and electronics industries.

"The machine vision market is currently in an expansion phase, particularly in Asia," he said.

During the quarter Coreco opened a sales support office in Japan, its first outside North America.