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HARTFORD, CT -- A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty this week in US District Court to importing thousands of counterfeit ICs from China and Hong Kong and then reselling them to U.S. customers, including contractors supplying them to the US Navy for use in nuclear submarines.

BANNOCKBURN, IL — Total North American printed circuit board shipments increased 1.6% year-over-year in April. Year-to-date shipments were down 0.2%.

ROUND ROCK, TX - Benchmark Electronics will open a manufacturing facility in this city north of Austin later this summer, according to reports. The new plant will bring up to 80 new jobs to the area, a local agency spokesman said.

FT. WORTH, TX -- Google's Motorola Mobility business unit today announced plans to close its factory here by year-end, putting 700 employees out of work. The company previously announced it would sell the handset business to Lenovo.

ROLLING MEADOWS, IL – Panasonic Factory Solutions Co. of America said it recorded double-digit growth in its fiscal year ended March 31. The SMT equipment supplier cited notable progress with Tier 1 suppliers, including a more than 200% increase in mid-market penetration and nearly 400% growth in refurbished machinery sales.

"By refining our infrastructure, the evolution of our market strategy, and the innovative hardware and software innovations, we accomplished tremendous growth in fiscal 2013,” said M. Faisal Pandit, president of Panasonic FSA.

The company said it doubled its new customer accounts over the past year while research and collaboration yielded new innovations such as the AM100 placement machine, PanaCIM Express MES software, and other new products.

"Our growth in fiscal 2013 clearly proves Panasonic Factory Solutions has listened to and acted on what the market needed in order to offer total solutions aligning with the low volume high-mix market, as well as our Tier 1 manufacturers,” Pandit said.

REGGIO EMILIA, ITALY -- Yamaha Motor IM Europe opened a demo center here, working with its Italian sales partner Mancini Enterprise and technical collaborator AEB Robotics on the surface-mount process equipment show room. The center showcases Yamaha’s printing, placement, AOI and x-ray inspection equipment.

Its location, at AEB Robotics’ headquarters in Reggio Emilia, near Bologna, demonstrates solutions for advanced manufacturing challenges. AEB also shows its equipment for laser marking, dispensing, depaneling, and tabletop robots.

“Our new demonstration center will help us build closer relationships with the high-tech communities in northern Italy and nearby areas, by enabling visitors to see our advanced solutions in action and discover all the information they need from our experts on the spot,” said Nobuyuki Nishizawa, general manager, Yamaha Intelligent Machines Europe.

“We are pleased to welcome Yamaha to AEB Robotics, we believe that our collaboration with Yamaha is the result of an important synergy. We are confident that this team of professionals will cooperate successfully to Bring added value to customers said Antonia Fiaccadori CEO at AEB Technologies.