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Speaking of this Week — June 6, 2003
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
By Christine F. Della Monaca
Speaking of this Week reflects on events in the electronics assembly industry every Friday.
The trend of plenty of news in just as many categories continues this week. The IPC Book-to-Bill Ratio for April became available, proving that in this industry, it's two steps forward, one step back. Other stats reflected on various areas of the electronics assembly industry this week. We've also got alliances and purchases, progress and personnel news, and tradeshow happenings, as well as some financial news. And away we go:
- First, Northbrook, Ill.-based IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries' Book-to-Bill Ratio, which fell in April to 0.97 from 1.04 the month previous and 1.03 in February. This is the first time in 2003 that the book-to-bill has dipped below 1, since January's ratio was 1.02. This seems to me like a small hiccup on the way to recovery. Stay tuned.
- So where will the growth come from? A new study by Washington, D.C.-based International Finance Corp. and New York-based Booz Allen Hamilton forecasts that electronics production in emerging markets will rise from $65 billion in 2001 to $125 billion in 2005, accounting for 43 percent of worldwide manufacturing growth. More than three-quarters of this growth in developing countries is predicted to come from China, so keep your eyes on the Far East. In sector news, Alameda, Calif.-based Technology Forecasters Inc. is set to release a study that projects global revenues for aerospace/defense electronics contract manufacturing to grow at an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 14 percent between 2001 and 2006.
- As always, news of companies coming together in the varied ways they do: Nashville-based Kyzen Corp. is working with the Teddington, Middlesex, UK-based National Physical Laboratory (NPL) to investigate flux cleaning efficiency in lead-free soldering, while Grand Junction, Colo.-based GPD Global formed a customer support alliance with Seoul, Korea-based Partech Corp. In other alliance news, Medfield, Mass.-based Milara Inc. appointed Kirby and Demerest as its manufacturer's representative serving four western states and the Canadian province of British Columbia. Finally, in acquisition news, Toronto-based Circuit World Corp. entered into an agreement to acquire all the shares of Firan Technology Group Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Glendale International Corp., making Circuit World a leading PCB supplier to the Canadian aerospace and defense industries, while North Canton, Ohio-based Liquid Control Corp. completed its acquisition of Wellingborough, UK-based Liquid Control Ltd.
- In progress news: San Diego-based KIC received its fourth patent in two years, this one for its "Oven Recipe Search Engine" software, while Ashburn, Va.-based ZESTRON Corp. announced its material screening capabilities. Meanwhile, Hillsboro, Ore.-based S.P. Precision International Lrd. updated and redesigned its Web site. In award news, East Pittsburgh-based Pinnacle Electronics received the "Supplier of the Year" award from Quatech Inc.
- Personnel appointment and promotion news: St. Louis-based FKI Logistex Alvey Systems, an FKI Logistex member company, appointed Tony DiNello as director of Midwest regional operations and Jeff Cortez as operations manager, Midwest region. Meanwhile, Concord, Mass.-based MSL has a new member of its Board of Directors in John P. Cunningham, who was most recently executive vice president and chief financial officer of Citrix Systems Inc. Finally, West Caldwell, N.J.-based Rehm USA LLC appointed John Bashe as sales manager, Americas.
- News on upcoming tradeshows: Carlsbad, Calif.-based Asymtek and four fluid supplier industry partners are hosting an electronics applications dispensing seminar later this month in Westford, Mass. Later in 2003, the Minneapolis-based SMTA's SMTA International, co-located with Assembly Technology Expo, will feature 17 new courses. Finally, amid fears of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Asia, IPC and the Hong Kong Printed Circuit Association (HKPCA) moved the inaugural International Printed Circuit and Electronics Assembly Fair to December in Guangzhou, China.
- Finally, some (sour) financial news: Quebec City, Canada-based EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. announced a restructuring plan that it hopes will save them US $10 million annualized. The bad news is that 30 percent of the company's workforce is being laid off to get there. EXFO also downgraded its third quarter outlook to US $15 million from the US $16 million to US $19 million that was previously announced. In similar news, Helsinki, Finland-based Elcoteq Network Corp. lowered its full year 2003 net sales growth forecast from the previously announced 60 percent to 40 percent. Ouch.
This just in: According to this week's Quick Vote, half of you feel that e-mail helps you communicate, while the other half think e-mail both lets you reach out and touch someone, but clogs your inbox in the process.
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.