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Speaking of this Week — May 23, 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.
We're progressing towards summer, what with the long holiday weekend upon us, and the electronics assembly industry is moving ahead as well. We've got an important personnel announcement from right inside SMT, as well as partnership and (good) financial news. There's even a prediction thrown in for good measure. Batter up:
- In legislative progress, Northbrook, Ill.-based IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries' longtime protests over the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Metal Products and Machinery (MP&M) effluent guidelines came to fruition last week, when the Federal Register (68 FR May 13, 2003 page 25685) declared, "EPA is not revising any limitations or standards for facilities that would have been subject to this [Printed Circuit Board] subcategory (page 25705)." Meanwhile, San Jose, Calif.-based Sanmina-SCI Corp.'s PCB plant in Wilmington, Mass. has completed certification and qualification assessment by the Columbus, Ohio-based DSCC (Defense Supply Center), and Zurich, Switzerland-based DEK added a new section to its Web site that consolidates information on the benefits of using PumpPrint process technology for high-speed adhesive deposition. In similar news, San Diego-based Redlake launched its redesigned Web site, featuring a new design and user-friendly navigation to locate high-speed motion cameras, high-resolution MegaPlus cameras and multi-spectral cameras. Elsewhere, Phoenix-based Duraswitch received U.S. Patent No. 6,556,112 for its magnetically coupled tact switch actuator technology, and Las Vegas-based ITT Industries, Cannon hosted its 17th annual charitable golf tournament on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Finally, in association progress, PT Timah Tbk rejoined Hertfordshire, UK-based trade organization ITRI Ltd (formerly the International Tin Research Institute).
- There's only one bit of personnel news this week, but it's a doozy: Advanced Packaging magazine appointed Gail Flower (Stout) editor-in-chief. Flower also serves as editor-in-chief of SMT.
- Something to look forward to: The Minneapolis-based SMTA's SMTA International, taking place in Chicago in September will feature half-day workshops on reflow soldering using convection ovens and implementing flex circuits and flex-based packages.
- A bunch of partnerships: West Haven, Conn.-based Enthone Inc., a Cookson Electronics Co., will expand marketing and distribution of its ViaForm copper damascene electrochemical deposition processes through an exclusive licensing and joint development agreement with Danbury, Conn.-based ATMI Inc. Similarly, Philadelphia-based Powell Electronics Inc. joined Farmingdale, N.J.-based Dialight Corp.'s franchised distributor network for Dialight's full line of optoelectronics indicators. The Buffalo, N.Y.-based Connectors Business line of Outokumpu Copper Products (OCP) is expanding its alloy offering through a licensing arrangement with Venice-based ILNOR S.p.A. to produce connector strip under the OCP label. In food news, A licensee of Phoenix-based Duraswitch, Italy-based Tastitalia has launched multiple projects for two customers dealing with pizza ovens and commercial coffee makers, respectively. Mexico-based ISB Industrias Sola Basic SA de CV purchased multiple licenses of eMPower for Electronics software from Nashua, N.H.-based Tecnomatix Unicam Inc., a subsidiary of Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. for use in its key manufacturing plants across Mexico. And Austin, Texas-based Molecular Imprints Inc. (MII) announced this week that Motorola Labs will take delivery on the first Step and Flash Imprint Lithography (S-FILTM) system, the Imprio 100, while Wilsonville, Ore.-based Mentor Graphics Corp. and Royal Philips Electronics formed a technology collaboration to help their mutual customers implement Hi-Speed Universal Serial Bus (USB) in embedded applications. Finally, in acquisition news, Germany-based Nano-Positioning Specialist PI acquired GSG Electronics GmbH.
- Two companies reported financial news this week, and both have good things to say: Migdal Haemek, Israel-based Camtek Ltd. announced that sales for the first quarter of 2003, which ended March 31 were $5.8 million compared to $4.7 million in the first and fourth quarters of 2002. Gross profit margins for the first quarter of 2003 were 39.7 percent, compared to 37.1 percent for the first quarter of 2002, and 33.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2002. Meanwhile, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada-based ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. reported results for its first three months ended March 31, 2003. The company remained profitable, despite market weakness, and a non-cash charge of $6 million ($5.6 million after tax, or 9 cents per share) in the fourth quarter.
- Finally, a prediction: Scottsdale, Ariz.-based In-Stat/MDR reports that Ultra-Wideband (UWB) promises to be the technology that delivers the bandwidth and QoS many consumer electronics companies have been looking for.
This just in: According to this week's Quick Vote, equal numbers of you say you do not have a backlog as say the backlog at your company is moderate or severe. Only 14 percent of you say your backlog is mild.
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.