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Speaking of this Week -- December 6, 2002
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
By Christine F. Della Monaca
Speaking of this Week reflects on the electronics assembly industry every Friday.
The news is as scattered this first week of December as the snowflakes many of us are starting to see outside our windows. We've got everything from progress news to tradeshow developments, ranging to alliances and partnerships, personnel news, finance, legislative, and some out-and-out bad news. We also have the requisite studies and forecasts. Whew! Let's get going:
- A bunch of progress: DEK has expanded its horizons by implementing a manufacturing facility in Singapore to serve its growing Asian customer base, while Melville, N.Y.-based Nu Horizons Electronics Corp. launched a new RF/microwave division for its microwave/RF and wireless customers. Meanwhile, staff from Nokia Mobile Phones and Binghamton, N.Y.-based Universal Instruments Corp. authored the paper that won Best Technical Paper at Northbrook, Ill.-based IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries's Annual Meeting last month. In more IPC news, the trade organization announced that 18 EMS program managers gained certification through its first-ever EMS Program Manager Training and Certification Program. Finally, Breda, Holland-based Cobar Europe BV's 396-QM9 VOC-free wave solder flux has become the preferred wave soldering flux of the automotive industry, an important application area for electronics nowadays.
- In tradeshow news, Randy Heyler, vice president of Business Development, Advanced Packaging and Automation Systems Division for Irvine, Calif.-based Newport Corp., presented a technical paper this week at NEPCON West in San Jose, Calif. that detailed Newport's collaboration with Flextronics Photonics on fiber optic assembly. In the meantime, IPC announced this week that a complementary online course for PCB designers, called "Reliable SMT Design -- All There is to Know," which will be held December 18.
- Companies continue to come together: Stockholm-based Ericsson Technology Licensing signed a deal to bring its K-D1 Bluetooth radio core to National Semiconductor, to be included in National products to be introduced in 2003. In the meantime, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada-based ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. is acquiring Munich, Germany-based Magnet GmbH for approximately $3 million to increase capabilities in Europe and gain mastery over electronic controls technology, and LaFox, Ill.-based Richardson Electronics and Itasca, Ill.-based NEC - Mitsubishi Electronics Display of America signed a value-added distribution agreement. Finally, Nashua, N.H.-based Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. announced that a reseller agreement it signed earlier in 2002 with Spain-based Solintec has borne fruit, to the tune of total sales of eMPower MPM software and services to end user customers of about US $500,000.
- Personnel news, especially in high places: UK-based DEK has a new chief information officer in Pamal Sharma, while Sheboygen, Wis.-based VPI Floor Products Division appointed Gene P. Eichenseer as regional sales manager, south central U.S.
- A financing transaction from San Jose, Calif.-based Sanmina-SCI Corp.: The EMS giant is planning to issue $450 million of senior secured notes to help pay off corporate debt.
- Legislative news: Washington, D.C.-based trade organization AeA says that the legislation passed recently to create the Department of Homeland Security will help small and minority-owned technology companies. A provision in the legislation requires the government to conduct market research to identify these businesses to fulfill their contracting requirements related to defense against terrorism. Meanwhile, Rosslyn, Va.-based NEMA issued two new annexes to its control circuit and pilot devices standard.
- Some terrible news: Lake Success, N.Y.-based Park Electrochemical Corp. reported an accident that occurred last Wednesday at its Nelco/Singapore facility that destroyed a treater, critically injuring one employee and killing another. In more mixed news, Round Rock, Texas-based DuPont Photomasks Inc. plans to cuts costs and improve productivity, meaning 30 employees, or 2 percent of the company's workforce, will lose their jobs.
- Finally, some looks ahead: Alameda, Calif.-based Technology Forecasters Inc. predicts that original design manufacture (ODM) revenues will increase as a share of electronic manufacturing service (EMS) revenues, from one-third in 2001 to almost half in 2006. And Scottsdale, Ariz.-based In-Stat/MDR forecasts the encryption chip market will grow to $575 million by 2006 from less than $75 million in 2001, propelled by the events of the last 18 months.
Have some insight on the industry? See something you don't agree with? Think I'm right on? Send it all to me at christinef@pennwell.com.