NEWARK, NY -- IEC Electronics reported September quarter net income of $1.6 million, up 78% from a year ago.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Third-quarter global PC shipments were up 7% sequentially and 10.3% year-over-year to 88.1 million units, according to iSuppli Corp.

Shipments for all three major types of PCs – desktops, notebooks and entry-level servers – rose on both a sequential and a year-over-year basis in the third quarter.

Desktop PCs generated the strongest sequential growth, with shipments up 11% sequentially, reflecting relatively strong demand in the corporate sector.

In contrast, mobile PC shipments rose at more tepid 4% sequential growth rate, and up a more impressive 15% from a year earlier. Those rates, however, were down from 41% and 42% increases in the second and first quarters, respectively, due to consumer confidence issues, says the firm.

iSuppli predicts global PC shipments will continue to rise in the fourth quarter, with a mid-single-digit increase over fourth-quarter 2009 shipments.

TAIPEI – Taiwan's exports swelled 21.9% year-over-year to $24.2 billion in October on strong demand for electronics.

JASPER, IN – EMS firm Kimball International said its first-quarter 2011 profit dropped 74% year-over-year to $460,000.

Total sales increased 7% year-over-year to $294 million.

The firm’s electronics manufacturing business, however, recorded losses of $250,000, down 13% year-over-year, attributable to labor and employee cost increases. Sales for the segment totaled $177.9 million.

The company had total assets of $642 million at the end of the quarter.