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News
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Asia Key to Assembléon Business Strategy
EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands — Assembléon is expanding its sales and service organization in Asia, particularly China.
The size and complexity of the SMT market in the Asia-Pacific region prompted the company to begin ramping up its support network in the region in 2003 to secure customer satisfaction. A recruitment campaign achieved a fourfold increase in service personnel, with an additional 50 percent increase planned by the end of this year. The company's sales force also has grown threefold since the start of the year, with a fivefold increase planned by the end of 2004.
In 2003, Asia sales increased to 40 percent of the company's total global sales, up from just more than 30 percent in 2002, with China representing 30 percent of this growth. Assembléon expects China to represent 70 percent of total Asia sales in 2004. Because of this growth, China has been identified as a key element in the company's long-term global business strategy.
Two decades of commitment to Asian electronics manufacturers established the company in Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Shenzhen, Tokyo and the Philippines by the end of 2002. Additional growth in 2003 saw Assembléon expanding into Hong Kong (now the company's regional headquarters), Beijing, Chengdu, Dalian, Dongguan, Shanghai, Suzhou, Tianjin, Taipei and Xian in Greater China, as well as nine additional locations in Southeast Asia, and India. This year, the company will open a new Competence Center in Shanghai, and a parts store and equipment assembly facility in Shanghai.
In order to focus on the SMT marketplace, the company amicably terminated its exclusive distributorship agreement with Autron Corp. Ltd. However, it will continue its business model to cooperate with an agent network in selected areas.
PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio
April Book-to-Bill Continues to Dip Slightly
NORTHBROOK, Ill. — The IPC IMS/PCB book-to-bill ratio for April was 1.11, calculated by averaging the index numbers for orders booked over the past three months and dividing it by the average index numbers for sales billed during the same period. While remaining positive, the ratio fell slightly from the March number of 1.12. Sales billed (shipments) in April 2004 increased 41.3 percent from April 2003, and orders booked increased 63.6 percent from April 2003.
April's book-to-bill level dipped slightly from March's numbers, while orders booked for April 2004 increased 63.6 percent from April 2003.
ASC and Chemsultants Offer Introduction to Adhesives and Sealants Workshops
BETHESDA, Md. — ASC has teamed with Chemsultants International Network to present a technical educational training program designed for quality assurance and control, research and development (R&D) lab technicians, and other personnel new to the industry.
"Introduction to Liquid Adhesives and Sealants: Laboratory Technician Test Training Workshop" is a two-day combination of lecture and demonstration sessions that covers adhesive and sealant types and families, laboratory safety and quality issues, sample preparation, key property and performance test methods, and the proper metering, mixing and application of adhesives and sealants.
The course will be offered at the Chemsultants facility in Mentor, Ohio, August 25 to August 27, as well as October 13 to October 15, 2004.
Flomerics Survey Illustrates Electronics Issues
SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. — Flomerics has surveyed physical/mechanical design engineers to identify some of their key concerns.
The survey confirmed that for 40 percent, thermal management is the most significant and expensive design challenge faced, and 49 percent of the respondents have changed a board layout for thermal reasons within the past six months. For 19 percent of respondents, basic mechanical design was the greatest challenge, followed by electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) for 14 percent. Thirty-nine percent of engineers surveyed said that better interfaces between their electronic design automation (EDA) and mechanical design software would greatly improve collaboration between electronic design engineers and mechanical design engineers at their company.
In response to a question about which aspects of design and layout of printed circuit boards (PCB) commonly are influenced by mechanical designers, 67 percent identified the "heat sink keep-out area." Only 35 percent said that "optimizing component layout from a thermal standpoint" was an aspect of design they could influence.
Percentage of physical designers with influence in various areas.
Other parts of the survey focused on the role of thermal analysis in the design process. When asked which software tools must interact with thermal simulation software the most, 64 percent said mechanical computer-aided design (MCAD) software and 19 percent said EDA software. As for why board-level thermal analysis software is not commonly used by electronic engineers (EE) at their company, 31 percent said that EEs are not responsible or are too busy to use thermal analysis software, while 29 percent pointed to the limited functionality and accuracy of current board-level tools.
Data I/O Opens WOFE in China
REDMOND, Wash. — Data I/O Corp. has established a wholly owned foreign enterprise (WOFE) in China that provides the company with business incorporation there. The company also received a business license that allows Data I/O to operate in the country.
Headquartered in the Shanghai Stock Exchange Building in Shanghai, P.R. China, this facility is the company's third in China. There are additional offices in Hong Kong and Shenzen.
The Asian offices allow the company to respond to Asian customers in the local time zone and using the local language. Products developed for this market will meet the criteria required by these specific geographic customers.
With 10 employees currently, the company expects to increase the number throughout the year.
FEINFOCUS, Kester Partner for Lead-free Seminars
STAMFORD, Conn. and DES PLAINES, Ill. — FEINFOCUS and Kester have partnered to offer electronics assemblers a series of technical seminars on cost-effectively and reliably implementing lead-free assembly operations, process issues, inspection and reliability technology.
Kester University, sponsored by Kester, was held in April in Dallas and Austin, Texas, as a part of a series of seminars across North America. The seminars focus on implementation of lead-free assembly, and are designed to educate process engineers on solderability issues associated with lead-free, including material compatibility and reliability, rework issues, and lead-free alloy and chemistry selection.
To register for a future seminar, contact Kester at kesteruniversity@kester.com.
APE Partners with IEMME SPA
KEY LARGO, Fla. and MILAN, Italy — Automated Production Equipment (APE) has signed an exclusive agreement with IEMME SpA to distribute APE equipment in Italy.
IEMME produces their own line of reflow ovens and supplies the majority of electronics manufacturers within Italy.
(L-R) Bill Scheu, GianPaolo Barison, Alberto Proverbio, and Enrico Oligati, Ph.D.
EMS News
Plexus Expands Asian Capacity, Extends U.S. Lease
NEENAH, Wis. — Plexus Corp. has received approval from its Board of Directors to expand the company's operations in Penang, Malaysia. The approval includes purchasing an existing 164,000 sq ft facility and the initial outfitting of manufacturing equipment.
The company forecasts that it will outgrow its current Asia facility by early fiscal 2005. The new facility will almost double its current manufacturing capacity in Asia. Additionally, this Malaysian facility will operate with the company's "Focus Factory" manufacturing model and will house its Asian design center. Finalization of the purchase is expected in the fiscal third quarter, and the facility should be operational in the fiscal fourth quarter of this year.
The larger facility will be the company's second location in Penang, and will help give the company 1.6 million sq ft of manufacturing capacity — 58 percent in the United States, 22 percent in Asia, 14 percent in Mexico and 6 percent in the United Kingdom.
In related news, the company extended its lease on its Building 4 facility in Neenah for an additional five years.
EMSBuyer.com Develops Calculator Tool
EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — EMSBuyer.com developed a calculator to assist both sales and business managers in assessing their cost of prospecting for new customers. Typically buried within the total cost of sales, prospecting can represent anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of the total cost of sales.
Using the calculator, managers fill in the blanks on the calculating form, and results are instantaneous.
The tool looks at typical methods of prospecting, such as cold calling from directory listings and trade show marketing, and assigns costs to each category based on user input. It also calculates "lost opportunity," which often is overlooked but can represent the greatest cost. Generally, sales professionals spend close to 30 percent of their time selling, and an additional 30 to 50 percent prospecting. The remainder is spent on customer support.
The calculator is available free of charge to PCB sales professionals by visiting the company's Web site at www.emsbuyer.com.
Briefs
API Acquires Islip
API Electronics Group Inc. acquired the assets of Islip Transformer & Metal Co. Inc., a supplier of critical systems and components to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). During its 50 years in business, Islip has supplied the DoD with various types of built-to-print electronic modules, multi-layer PCBAs, flexible cables, I/O boards, RF and connection cables with multiple wire strands and RF modules, and chassis assemblies. Islip has been integrated into API's subsidiary, and operations have been relocated into the company's technology and manufacturing center in Hauppauge, N.Y. The acquisition is expected to increase the company's in-demand catalog of components and systems for government as well as corporate clients.
Nu Visions Expands Production Capability
Nu Visions Manufacturing LLC has added another high-speed placement line from Juki Automation. This line consists of KE-2060 and FX-1 machines. In response to increased customer demand for populated PCB products, the company purchased four additional Juki pick-and-place machines last year. The company now has a total of 19 machines configured in eight lines. Additionally, it is the first manufacturer in the Americas to purchase the FX-1 model.
GlobalSpec Launches Updated Engineering Resource
GlobalSpec Inc. has launched a more powerful search functionality, deeper engineering content and "The Engineering Web." The latter is described as a portion of the Internet that focuses only on engineering-related information. As a result of the upgrade, GlobalSpec now provides access to the "hidden" Web — application notes, patents, material properties, standards and other exclusive content not available on other search engines.
Polyonics Introduces Multiple Language Web Sites
Multiple language choices have been added to Polyonics' Web sites. Located at www.polyonics.com, visitors click on the region of interest to select the preferred language choice. Ten languages are available, including English, Spanish, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
Park Electrochemical to Open Chinese Facility
Park Electrochemical Corp. will establish a manufacturing facility in the People's Republic of China to support increased demand for advanced multi-layer printed circuitry materials in China. Operating under the name Nelco Technology (Zhuhai FTZ) Ltd., the facility will be located approximately 50 miles west of Hong Kong in the Zhuhai Free Trade Zone. The plant will be a wholly owned subsidiary of the company's Nelco Products Pte. Ltd. business unit located in Singapore.