-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueBox Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
Boost Your Sales
Every part of your business can be evaluated as a process, including your sales funnel. Optimizing your selling process requires a coordinated effort between marketing and sales. In this issue, industry experts in marketing and sales offer their best advice on how to boost your sales efforts.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Speaking of this Week -- September 27, 2002
December 31, 1969 |Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
By Christine F. Della Monaca
Speaking of this Week reflects on the electronics assembly industry every Friday.
I spent this week at the Assembly Technology Expo tradeshow in Chicago, soaking up new ideas and innovations. The electronics assembly industry, similarly, is looking for new ideas and inspiration from a bevy of tradeshows right around the corner. We've got important alliance news this week as well, with progress, personnel and financial news thrown in for good measure. Hold on:
- As mentioned, tradeshow news abounds. For example, Nashua, N.H.-based Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. hosted the MPM Forum 2002 conference, held September 11 through 12 in Northville, Mich., which discussed the current state and future of Manufacturing Process Management (MPM). Meanwhile, the Component Obsolescence Group (COG) meeting will be held in the UK September 25 and 26, and UK-based trade association SOLDERTEC will be making a presentation. Further down the pike, San Mateo, Calif.-based ElectroniCast Corp. will host the Second Annual Optical Communication Component Conference at the Shinagawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo on October 30, 2002. Moving toward the end of 2002, NEPCON West will take place December 4 through 6, 2002, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, Calif., and will feature "Emerging Interconnection Technologies," a symposium on the innovative solutions that will serve and stimulate the electronics industry. Looking ahead to 2003, Northbrook, Ill.-based IPC -- Association Connecting Electronics Industries'(r) IPC SMEMA Council's APEX(r) 2003, taking place March 31 through April 2, 2003, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., will see several awards presented, including SMT's VISION Awards. Finally, Washington, D.C.-based IMAPS and the Ceramic Interconnect Initiative (CII) will present the "Ceramic Interconnect Technology: The Next Generation" conference, scheduled for April 8 through 9, 2003, at the Westin Hotel in Denver, Colo.
- News of alliances came back to the forefront this week. The biggest example concerned Bonnigheim, Germany-based EKRA GmbH and Chiryu, Japan-based Fuji Machine Manufacturing Co. Ltd. The companies entered into an OEM agreement where Fuji will integrate EKRA printers into its SMT production lines. The agreement also includes a mutual exchange of technology. Meanwhile, Palo Alto, Calif.-based Agilent Technologies Inc. saw Hsinchu, Japan-based Faraday Technology Corp. select Agilent's 93000 SOC Series test system to test Faraday's new USB 2.0 interconnect standard IP cores. In similar news, Taipei, Taiwan-based SigmaTel picked Boston-based Teradyne's Integra J750 test system with the Mixed Signal Option (MSO) for testing their digital audio devices as well as other digital consumer products. In other alliance news, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.-based Endevco Corp. signed a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with Sandia National Laboratories to jointly develop a robust (60,000 g's), low volume, low power acceleration sensor (accelerometer) and a small acceleration recording device that will use the newly developed accelerometer. Meanwhile, Bohemia, N.Y.-based V.J. Electronix formed a strategic alliance with the American Competitiveness Institute (ACI) to help ACI aid the advancement and integration of leading edge technologies in electronics manufacturing and related engineering applications. Finally, PTC became a corporate sponsor of Alameda, Calif.-based Technology Forecasters Inc.'s (TFI) September 20, 2002 Quarterly Forum for Electronics Manufacturers Outsourcing and Supply Chain program, a membership organization taking issues affecting the electronics manufacturing industry and assessing and discussing them in quarterly meetings, and on the Internet.
- Lots o' progress news: Fremont, Calif.-based Bliss Industries Inc. has launched a "Previously Owned Carts" program, where those looking for used carts can sign up in advance and be notified when the carts they want to buy become available. With many companies looking to economize through the downturn by purchasing used equipment, this should be an interesting program to watch. In another growing area, aerospace electronics, Pomona, Calif.-based Rockwell Collins signed an agreement with China Eastern Airlines, allowing for installation of the PAVES in-flight entertainment system on 20 Airbus A320 aircraft. Looking back to IMAPS 2002 at the beginning of the month, the latest advances and challenges -- "The Top Ten Developments in Ceramic Interconnect Technology" -- were recognized at a press event hosted by the Ceramic Interconnect Initiative at the show. Eleven companies, including Heraeus, Phillips and Motorola, were named for their innovations in this area. Finally, Clifton Park, N.Y.-based Simmetrix Inc. was awarded $1.9 million from the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop the next generation in tools and techniques for simulation-based design.
- In personnel news: Methuen, Mass.-based Parlex Corp. nominated Russell D. Wright to be a member of the Board of Directors, subject to shareholder approval at its Annual Meeting on November 26, 2002, while Greensboro, N.C.-based RF Micro Devices Inc. named Frederick J. Leonberger, Ph.D., as a member of its Board of Directors.
- Finally, some financial news, which runs the gamut from excellent to dismal: Quebec City-based EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. recorded sales growth for a second consecutive quarter following the release of fourth quarter and fiscal 2002 financial results. Over at San Jose, Calif.-based Adept Technology Inc., the view is not so rosy: the company announced that first quarter revenue is anticipated to be below the company's previous expectations. Additionally, Adept has engaged the investment bank, Broadview International, to explore strategic alternatives for itself. Ouch.
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.