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Speaking of this Week -- March 7, 2003
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
By Christine F. Della Monaca
Speaking of this Week wraps up the week's events in the electronics assembly industry every Friday.
They say March comes in like a lion, and we've got the news to prove it this week. The bellwether IPC book-to-bill ratio hit the streets, showing strong (but mixed) signs of life, and progress news abounded. We've also got personnel announcements, news of alliances, tradeshow news and a prediction. Read on:
- First, the U.S. IMS/PCB Industry Book-to-Bill ratio from Northbrook, Ill.-based IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries. For the first time since last January, it rose to more than 1 at 1.02. At the same time, sales billed (shipments) in January 2003 decreased 19.8 percent from January 2002 and orders booked decreased 16.4 percent from January 2002. Very interesting. Meanwhile, the IMS/PCB Business Report reported the IMS/PCB shipment index was 91.9 and the IMS/PCB booking index was 104.5 for January 2003. The shipment index reflects a 25.2 percent decrease from 122.8 in December 2002, and the IPC IMS/PCB booking index in January 2003 decreased 14.5 percent from 122.2 in December 2002. Stay tuned.
- As mentioned, lots and lots of progress news: Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Santa Barbara Infrared Inc. (SBIR) relocated into a newly redesigned 25,000 sq ft. facility, while Fremont, Calif.-based Asyst Technologies Inc. completed its first customer shipments from Milpitas, Calif.-based Solectron Corp.'s facilities in Singapore. Meanwhile, Canada-based Creation Technologies purchased US $211,000 in licenses and support for eMPower Execution Systems from Nashua, N.H.-based Tecnomatix Unicam. Also in Nashua, Teradyne Inc. Connection Systems Division (TCS) announced capabilities to provide deep micro-via technology for customers of high performance printed circuits (HPC). On the lead-free front, Solectron Corp. was selected to manufacture the first lead-free product for Singapore-based Olympus Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd. (OST). And Garbsen, Germany-based feinfocus had a great year in 2002: The company experienced a 35 percent overall growthin 2002 over 2001, despite a downward trend in the industry. Finally, Hollis, N.H.-based JPSA Laser is planning for growth-driven expansion, while Helsinki, Finland-based Elcoteq Network Corp. will announce at the Annual General Meeting on March 26 that its shareholders will receive a dividend of EUR 0.40 per share.
- Some personnel news: The Minneapolis-based Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) has a new member of its Corporate Advisory Council in Alan Rae, Ph.D. vice president of technology for Cookson Electronics. Meanwhile, West Haven, Conn.-based Enthone Inc., a Cookson Electronics PWB Materials & Chemistry business, named Yun Zhang, Ph.D. research director, while Vancouver-based Nam Tai Electronics Inc. appointed Guy Bindels as its R&D director. Finally, Hong Kong and Fremont, Calif.-based ASAT Holdings Ltd. appointed Stephen M. Shaw to the Board of Directors.
- Alliances and mergers: Alpharetta, Ga.-based Visiprise and EDS PLM Solutions formed an agreement to engage in cooperative product development, sales and support, and Montreal-based AIM Inc. and Connecticut-based The Torrey S. Crane Co. signed a worldwide license agreement for AIM's CASTIN lead-free alloy. Meanwhile, Germany-based EV Group (EVG) held the official opening celebration at the new joint venture company, EVG-Jointech Corp., in CHUNG-LI, Taiwan. And trade organizations came together as well: IPC will join SOLDERTEC, a division of Tin Technology, in sponsoring the International Conference on Lead-Free Electronics on June 10 through 13, 2003, in Brussels, Belgium. Finally, in acquisition news, Midland, Mich.-based Dow Corning Corp. completed its acquisition of the Raychem Power Materials Business Unit of Tyco Electronics.
- In tradeshow news, IPC's 2003 Spring Technology Market Research Council (TMRC) meeting on May 6 offers two ways to participate: Attendees may teleconference in, or do the old-fashioned thing and come to the show in Chicago.
- Finally, a prediction: Norwalk, Conn.-based Business Communications Co. Inc. estimates that the global rare earth market was at 78,205 metric tons in 2002, valued at $1.6 billion. By 2007, the demand is expected to increase 3.2 percent per year on average, reaching 91,465 metric tons.
Got 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.