-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueBox Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
Boost Your Sales
Every part of your business can be evaluated as a process, including your sales funnel. Optimizing your selling process requires a coordinated effort between marketing and sales. In this issue, industry experts in marketing and sales offer their best advice on how to boost your sales efforts.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Speaking of this Week — January 30, 2004
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
By Christine F. Della Monaca, Managing Editor, SMT
Speaking of this Week summarizes and analyzes events in the electronics assembly industry every Friday.
We've got a snapshot of the whole of 2003 with the release of the December book-to-bill ratio by IPC, and it's generally positive. Progress news continues to abound, and companies and associations are looking ahead to trade shows in 2004. Finally, there's personnel, alliance and financial news this week. Let's get going:
- First, Northbrook, Ill.-based IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries' book-to-bill ratio, which dipped slightly to 1.11 in December from 1.13 in November. For all of 2003, the book-to-bill was only underwater in April at 0.97. This is much improved from 2002, when the book-to-bill spent the whole year under 1.00 except for January and February. Meanwhile, the IMS/PCB Business Report showed the IMS/PCB shipment index was 126.3 and the booking index was 137.1, representing a 2.8 percent and 3 percent decrease over November's numbers, respectively. It will be interesting to see how 2004 kicks off in the book-to-bill department.
- Lots of progress: San Jose, Calif.-based DEK has changed its representation in the Pacific Northwest and Southern California, while another San Jose organization, Venture Outsource Corp., saw the number of contract manufacturers enrolled in its Circle of Providers program increase 20 percent in 2003 over 2002 numbers. Norcross, Ga.-based Siemens Dematic Electronics Assembly Systems crossed the Mason-Dixon line to provide comprehensive SMT process training at the Rochester, N.Y.-based Rochester Institute of Technology's (RIT) Center for Electronics Manufacturing & Assembly (CEMA), and Austin, Texas-based National Instruments became registered to ISO 9001:2000. Chicago-based Cignet Electronics acquired a new plant — and a new strategy — when it acquired the SiemensVDO assembly plant in Jarville, France. The company is looking to get into electronics for European cars. Finally, Frankenmuth, Mich.-based Memtron changed its name to Memtron Input Components to reflect its expansion into this area; Delafield, Wis.-based DATASYST was awarded accreditation by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) for mechanical testing; and San Jose, Calif.-based Cadence Design Systems Inc. announced support for 64-bit Linux computing platforms.
- Trade show news: At APEX/Printed Circuits Expo next month, Fremont, Calif.-based Dage Precision Industries is giving away the free use of a XiDAT X-ray system for one year. Also at the show, IPC has selected 17 companies to appear in its Innovative Technology Showcase (ITS), which will feature new, emerging technologies from all segments of the electronics interconnection supply chain. IPC also will hold its TMRC Spring Conference in May in Baltimore. Finally, the Minneapolis-based SMTA is seeking submissions for its Charles Hutchins Educational Grant, to be presented to a student at SMTA International in September in Chicago.
- Lots of people being promoted and hired: West Haven, Conn.-based Enthone Inc., a Cookson Electronics company, appointed Mark A. Dingley as vice president and general manager, while Ashburn, Va.-based ZESTRON America promoted Umut Tosun as senior process engineer. Finally, Townshend, Vt.-based Janos Technology Inc. recruited Darrel B. Fuller as its new thin film coatings department manager.
- Some companies coming together news: Portland, Ore.-based Northwest Analytical Inc. (NWA) and The Dow Chemical Co. entered into a licensing agreement for NWA's Quality Analyst SPC charting and analysis software. And Herzlia, Israel-based Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. and Plano, Texas-based UGS PLM Solutions have teamed up for enhanced operability between Tecnomatix's eM-Plant and Factory CAD from UGS PLM Solutions.
- Finally, some financial results: Myrtle Beach, S.C.-based AVX Corp. reported net sales of $296.3 million for the third quarter ended December 31, of which 43 percent came from Asia. Looking ahead, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Agilent Technologies Inc. expects to exceed previously reported guidance for the first quarter of 2004, with projected revenues of $1.63 to $1.68 billion, compared to previous guidance of $1.55 to $1.65 billion.
This just in: According to this week's Quick Vote, 26 percent of you think that Eastern Europe will cool off as an outsourcing market in 2004, 22 percent of you think Mexico, 22 percent say India, 15 percent say China and 19 percent think there's another market in need of some coolin'.
Have some insight on the industry? See something you don't agree with? Think I'm right on? Send it all to me at mailto:christinef@pennwell.com.