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News
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Compiled by SMT Staff
Automotive Semi Market Speeds up
NORWALK, Conn. - As automobiles encompass more capabilities for driver information and communication, such as in-car entertainment systems, power train and body control and advanced safety features, the automotive electronics market must keep pace. By the end of 2005, one quarter of a car’s value will consist of electrical and electronics components, claims Business Communications Company (BCC). Half of these components will be semiconductors. BCC’s “RG-288 World Automotive Semiconductor Markets” report shows that the automotive semiconductor business will rise at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 9% through 2009 - reaching nearly $25 billion. This market growth is set to continue its rise despite lagging car sales and production.
Five factors will contribute to the rise in automotive semiconductors, including the reduction of emissions and improved efficiency, implementation of mechatronics, the transition of conventional mechanical systems to microcomputer controls, expanding personalization features and increasing personal convenience and comforts. Of these, automotive personalizations hold the greatest potential for the growing number of semiconductors. MOS micro ICs and MOS memory are the two largest growth markets in the estimated 2004 global automotive semiconductor market, claims BCC. This trend is expected to continue through 2009, contributing to 63% of all IC dollars spent. MOS micro-components are predicted to be the largest IC product segments of the overall market through 2009.
PCB Book-to-bill ratioApril 2005 Book-to-Bill Drops
NORTHBROOK, Ill. - The IPC IMS/PCB book-to-bill ratio for April 2005 fell from 1.05 to 1.00, calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period. IPC reports separate statistics for the rigid PCB and flexible circuit segments of the industry, with a book-to-bill of 1.03 for rigid PCBs and 0.87 for flexible circuits. For these two segments combined, sales billed (shipments) in 2005 decreased 4.5% year-over-year, and orders booked are down 6.5% from April 2004.
April’s overall book-to-bill level fell from March’s numbers, but stayed positive at 1.00.
Celestica Named EMS Company of the Year
TORONTO - Frost & Sullivan named Celestica 2005 EMS Company of the Year, noting the company’s market diversification strategy, year-over-year revenue growth, technology and global reach. Frost & Sullivan’s award is presented to companies that demonstrate best practices in several markets, as well as the planning and execution of product launches, strategic alliances, distribution strategies, technological innovations, customer service and mergers and acquisitions.
Cookson Opens Shanghai Technical Center
JERSEY CITY, N.J. - Cookson Electronics will open a 1,500-square-meter advanced Technical Service Center and warehouse facility in Shanghai, China. The facility will provide hands-on local-language technical support to fabricators and assemblers of PCBs, as well as semiconductor packaging assemblers throughout Northern and Eastern China. Housing more than 60 employees, the $3 million facility is located in the Zhong Dian Lu Ke Industrial Park in Pudong. Professionals from the company’s three electronics divisions: Assembly Materials Group; Enthone; and Polyclad, Cookson’s laminates supplier for PCB fabricators, will share the facility.
iNEMI Releases Two Tin Whisker Standards
HERNDON, Va. - The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI) released two standards to help manufacturers reduce the risk of tin whiskers in lead-free products: the JEDEC standard JESD22A121 “Test Method for Measuring Whisker Growth on Tin and Tin Alloy Surface Finishes,” and the updated “Recommendations on Lead-free Finishes for Components Used in High-reliability Products.”
The JEDEC standard lists a series of tests that provide an industry-standard method for measuring and comparing whisker propensity for different plating or finish chemistries and processes, a consistent inspection protocol for tin whisker examination and a standard reporting format. The test method for this standard was developed initially by the iNEMI Tin Whisker Accelerated Test project, then expanded and modified with additional data as it went through the JEDEC development process. The JEDEC JC-14.1 Subcommittee on Reliability Test Methods for Packaging Devices developed the JESD22A121 standard, which can be downloaded at www.jedec.org.
The iNEMI Tin Whisker User Group also published revised recommendations for lead-free component finishes in high-reliability products. “Recommendations on Lead-free Finishes for Components Used in High-reliability Products, Version 3,” aims to help manufacturers reduce the risk of failures from tin whiskers. This document offers recommendations for lead-free finishes for several applications, and reflects the best judgment of the iNEMI User Group members, based on their combined experiences and data. Group recommendations include known mitigation practices, process controls and some level of testing. This revision is based on the latest data, and reflects uniform test requirements of JESD22A121. Both sets of the User Group recommendations are available at http://www.nemi.org/projects/ese/tin_whisker_activities.html.