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Speaking of this Week -- October 11, 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.
Alliances, and especially mergers, move back to the forefront this week. Meanwhile, companies are expanding their presence into new areas, and are promoting and hiring a bit more than in recent weeks. Tradeshow news moves to the back burner, but financial news has raised its head again. Finally, as many of us do in our personal lives, the industry is examining itself as things continue to be down overall. Read on:
- As mentioned, plenty of companies are coming together in plenty of ways: Nuremberg, Germany-based Siemens Dematic AG formed a sales cooperation with Italy-based ACD Technologies regarding substrate technology. The cooperation was announced at the European Printed Circuit Board Convention (EPC 2002) in Cologne, Germany. On this side of the pond, Franklin, Mass.-based JNJ Industries Inc. appointed South Carolina-based Cameron & Barkley (CamBar) as a stocking distributor of its consumables. Finally, on the merger and acquisition front, Quebec City-based EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. wrapped up its acquisition of gnubi communications L.P.; Salem, N.H.-based Standex International Corp. bought all of Cincinnati-based CIN-TRAN Inc.'s assets; and Sidney, N.Y.-based Amphenol Corp.'s Industrial Operations Division finished its purchase of the Detroit-based RADSOK Business Unit of K&K Stamping.
- Progress also helped shape the news this week, and a lot of it took the form of company expansion into new geographic areas. Case in point: Fremont, Calif.-based QPL opened a 300,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility in Guangdong, China to expand its capacity for plating and finishing stamped lead frame products. Irvine, Calif.-based ASSA ABLOY Identification Technology Group (ITG) formed a new operational business unit, ASSA ABLOY Identification Technology Group, Latin America, while Lamina Ceramics Inc. opened a manufacturing facility in Westampton, N.J. to increase production of components, modules, circuit boards and packages using the company's proprietary Low Temperature Co-fired Ceramic on Metal (LTCC-M) technology. Meanwhile, Frankenmuth, Mich.-based Memtron, a licensee of Phoenix-based Duraswitch, was in the news for its use of Duraswitch's PushGate technology, both in fire alarm controls and medical applications. Finally, Boston-based Teradyne Inc. was named the 2002 Test Solution Supplier of the Year by San Diego-based Magis Networks Inc.
- Two bits of trade show news this week: Irvine, Calif.-based Newport/MRSI Director of Sales Daniel F. Crowley gave a presentation on advanced packaging and automated assembly at the Topical Workshop on Optoelectronics Packaging and Micro-Optoelectromechanical Systems (MOEMS), sponsored by IMAPS, which took place this week. Looking into the future, the San Jose, Calif.-located NEPCON West, Assembly West and Fiberoptic Automation Expo 2002 Conference, taking place December 4 through 6, will feature a full program of educational sessions sponsored by various trade groups.
- Personnel news this week: Helsinki, Finland-based Elcoteq Network Corp. appointed Harri Ollila as president of European operations effective January 1, 2003, while San Diego-based Kyocera Wireless Corp. has a new vice president of international sales and business development in Fredrik Torstensson.
- Financial news this week pointed in a positive direction -- cautiously. For example, Melville, N.Y.-based Nu Horizons Electronics Corp. announced that net sales for the second quarter ended August 31 increased to $80.3 million from $69.9 million in the year-ago period. At the same time, net income from continuing operations was $254,000, compared to $437,000 in the comparable year-ago period. And for the first six months of the company's fiscal year ended August 31, net sales dipped slightly to $155.3 million from $159.7 million for the first six months last year. Things are a bit more rosy at Elcoteq: The company expects its net sales and operating profit for the third quarter to exceed previous predictions.
- Finally, the industry is in self-reflection mode, as can be seen by the bevy of reports and meetings that showed up in the news this week. San Mateo, Calif.-based ElectroniCast Corp. released its "Optical Add/Drop Multiplexer (OADM) Systems and Fiber Optic Component Rapid Reaction Report," which analyzes the 2000 to 2001 period and looks ahead for the next five years. Meanwhile, Alameda, Calif.-based Technology Forecasters Inc. presented its Quarterly Forum for Electronics Manufacturing Outsourcing and Supply Chain on September 20, which found that OEMs like having a "glass pipeline" -- the ability to outsource more supply chain responsibility to manufacturing partners while being able to keep an eye on it using data management systems. Last but not least, Northbrook, Ill.-based IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries'(r) "The Impact of Emerging Connector Designs on Printed Circuit Design and Fabrication" report, commissioned by Prismark Partners LLC, discusses emerging connector applications and their future effects on design and fabrication of PCBs.
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.