Chip Designers Face New Challenges

By Julia Goldstein, Ph.D., SMT Technical Editor — Much of the information presented at the Mentor Graphics' Editors and Analysts Day, centered on chip design. Chip designers are facing interesting challenges at the 90-nm node, including ensuring that their designs can be manufactured and how to verify that a design that can be manufactured actually functions as it is supposed to.

Teradyne Joins LXI Consortium

(December 10, 2004) North Reading, Mass. — Teradyne has joined the LXI Consortium, the recently formed standards organization. The LXI Consortium is a not-for-profit corporation made up of leading test and measurement companies. The group's goals are to develop, support and promote the LXI standard.

Embedded Passive NPL Masterclass Well Received

(December 9, 2004) Teddington, Middlesex, U.K. — At the recent National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Masterclass, part of the ongoing series inviting world-class presenters to Teddington, Dr. Richard Ulrich, author of the book, "Integrated Passive Component Technology," gave a comprehensive discourse on the current and future benefits of embedded passives.

Lenovo to Acquire IBM's Personal Computing Division

(December 9, 2004) Armonk, N.Y. & Beijing — IBM's awaited personal computing division sale to Lenovo Group Ltd. has become official; IBM has announced that they will pass the unit to the China PC manufacturer for $1.75 billion.

RF Micro Devices Ships One Million Transceiver Chipsets

(December 9, 2004) Greensboro, N.C. — RF Micro Devices Inc. (RFMD), a provider of radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for wireless communications applications, announces that it has shipped one million EDGE cellular transceiver chipsets.

ECA Monthly Order Index Bounces Again in November

(December 8, 2004) Arlington, Va. — The monthly order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA) took another monthly bounce in November, this time dipping after a rise in October. The index's 12-month moving average has come down a bit over the last three months, but is still several percentage points ahead of this time last year.

2004 International Wafer-Level Packaging Congress Announces Best Paper

(December 8, 2004) Minneapolis, Minn. — Speakers at the first International Wafer-Level Packaging Congress (IWLPC), held October 10-12, 2004, in San Jose, Calif., addressed leading-edge IC packaging and test technologies with special emphasis on 3-D stacked packaging. As rated by the attendees, the Best Paper Award was presented to Dr. Udo E. Frank of FEINFOCUS GmbH (Garbsen, Germany).

SCS Expands Presence in China with Parylene Coating Facility

(December 7, 2004) Indianapolis, Ind. — Specialty Coating Systems (SCS), a business unit of Cookson Electronics, has announced the recent opening of SCS Shanghai, a full-service Parylene conformal coating facility in China. The facility will allow SCS to better serve its customers, respond to the growing demand for its specialized Parylene coating services in Asia and bring its technology to the region.

SMTA Announces Recipient of the International Excellence in Leadership Award

(December 7, 2004) Minneapolis, Minn. — The Excellence in Leadership Award honors SMTA members who stand out as strong leaders within the Association. Abby Tsoi was chosen to receive the International Excellence in Leadership Award because of his outstanding commitment to the SMTA and his leadership in the formation of the SMTA Hong Kong Chapter.

DEK and Stork Join to Develop Electroform Stencils

(December 6, 2004) Flemington, N.J. — DEK has signed an exclusive OEM partner agreement with Stork Veco, a European manufacturer of electroform stencils. The companies have joined forces to develop electroformed stencils for the SMT industry and the semiconductor market.

Speedline Appoints New VP of Marketing and Business Development

(December 6, 2004) Franklin, Mass. — Speedline Technologies announces the appointment of Keith Favre as the VP of marketing and business development. As business has improved in 2004, the company is increasing its focus on business development initiatives to support existing and new markets and optimize the overall marketing strategy.

Endicott Interconnect Technology Receives Second Issued Patent

(December 3, 2004) Endicott, N.Y. — Engineers at Endicott Interconnect Technology didn't skip a beat when the company formed in 2002. The flow of innovative ideas and patent applications continued unabated. Because of this, Endicott has recently received its second issued patent.

Heraeus CMD Appoints New Senior Research Chemist

(December 3, 2004) West Conshohocken, Pa. — Maureen Nunn has been appointed to the position of senior research chemist for the Research and Development group of the SMT Business Unit at Heraeus Circuit Materials Division (CMD).

IPC Releases IMS/PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio and IMS/PCB Business Report for October 2004

(December 2, 2004) Bannockburn, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries has announced the findings from its monthly PCB Statistical Program for October 2004.

DEK Reveals Findings from U.K. Stencils Technology Day

(December 2, 2004) Weymouth, U.K. — DEK held a Stencils Technology Day at its Weymouth, U.K. office on November 25 to share the findings from its recent lead-free print trials, and provide hands-on experience of stencil technologies and their applications.

electronica 2004 Boosts Industry Optimism

(December 1, 2004) Munich, Germany — electronica 2004, a trade show for components, assemblies and high-growth applications, signalled increased momentum in the global electronics industry as international visitors and exhibitors once again flocked to the New Munich Trade Fair Centre.

Siemens and RIT Partner to Offer New Lean Manufacturing Training

(December 1, 2004) Norcross, Ga. — The Electronics Assembly Systems Division of Siemens Logistics and Assembly Systems (EA) is providing a Lean Manufacturing Course for the Americas. The first two-day course is scheduled for January 26 and 27, 2005, in partnership with the Center for Electronics Manufacturing & Assembly (CEMA) at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Rochester, N.Y.

Cookson and ALC Launch Suite of Lead-free Electronic Assembly Training Courses

(November 30, 2004) Jersey City, N.J.—Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials and its partner Automated Learning Corp. (ALC) announce the launch of their suite of lead-free assembly training courses. This suite of technical training courses is part of ALC's Learntech series. Its modular interactive multimedia learning approach is designed for process engineers, managers and senior operators involved in the implementation and management of lead-free electronic assembly processes.

Indium Appoints New Technical Manager in China

(November 30, 2004) Clinton, N.Y.—Indium Corporation of America has appointed Wang Ming as technical manager in China. Ming's SMT-specific experience includes six years in the Chinese cell phone manufacturing industry. He has been involved as an engineering manager in NPI and SMT process improvements for mobile phone production.

Indium Announces New Distributor in Europe

(November 29, 2004) Clinton, N.Y.—Indium Corporation of America has announced that GPS is their newest distributor in Europe, covering Germany, Croatia and Slovenia. The GPS team has many years of experience in the electronic assembly industry, and will be responsible for selling Indium's line of solder pastes and wave solder fluxes.

Universal Extends Price Reductions to Generation 8 Machines

(November 29, 2004) Binghamton, N.Y.—Universal Instruments has announced price cuts for its Generation 8 insertion machines, having recently announced similar reductions for surface-mount placement platforms. The most popular insertion machine configurations will reduce in price from between 8 and 20%.

StratEdge Introduces Redesigned Website

Dage Appoints New Eastern Regional Sales Manager

(November 24, 2004) Fremont, Calif.—Dage Precision Industries, an X-ray and bondtester technology company, announces the appointment of John Travis as Eastern regional sales manager for Dage's suite of X-ray systems.

N.H.-based Company Resells Electronics Assembly/Test Equipment

(November 23, 2004) Nashua, N.H.—In the pre-owned electronics manufacturing equipment market, most vendors sell assembly/test systems "as is," with little or no after-sales support. Nashua, N.H.-based Lewis and Clark Inc. (LCI) offers the same services expected when purchasing the equipment new from an OEM vendor.

FEINFOCUS Partners with IslandTek in Taiwan

(November 22, 2004) Stamford, Conn.—FEINFOCUS, a manufacturer of high-resolution X-ray inspection systems and tubes, announces their new partnership with IslandTek International, a PCBA equipment sales company headquartered in Taiwan. IslandTek represents the entire line of FEINFOCUS X-ray inspection systems for the PCBA industry in Taiwan.

DEK Machines Add New Interface to Aegis Software Tools

(November 22, 2004) Flemington, N.J.—DEK has completed development of machine interfaces to NPI and MES software tools from Aegis Industrial Software Corp., allowing manufacturing and process engineers using DEK screen printing platforms to maximize machine uptime, improve process monitoring and reduce operator mean-time-to-assist (MTTA) from within the Aegis system.

DEK Signs First North American VectorGuard Licensee

(November 19, 2004) Flemington, N.J.—DEK announces that SolderMask Inc. of Huntington Beach, Calif. has been signed as the first North American licensee of DEK's VectorGuard stencil technology. Under the terms of the agreement, SolderMask will manufacture VectorGuard stencils from foil blanks supplied by DEK and will also provide customers with VectorGuard frames.

SMTA Announces Call for Papers for SMTAI 2005

(November 19, 2004) Minneapolis, Minn.—The SMTA Technical Committee is announcing the Call for Papers for SMTA International 2005, to be held September 25-29, 2005, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

Parvus and Eurotech SpA Sponsor PC/104 Design Contest

(November 18, 2004) Salt Lake City, Utah & Amaro, Udine, Italy—Parvus Corp. and Eurotech SpA now sponsor the PC/104 Design Contest hosted by the PC/104 Embedded Consortium. Customers of both companies are encouraged to submit their entries for the contest to the Consortium by December 10, 2004.

IPC's EMS Management Council Meeting to Address Lead-free

(November 18, 2004) Bannockburn, Ill.—What does lead-free mean to an EMS executive? And, what do market predictions forecast? These are just a couple of the questions that will be addressed during a day-long IPC EMS Management Council Meeting, to be held Monday, February 21, 2005, in Anaheim, Calif., in conjunction with the IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX, Designers Summit and the Electronic Circuits World Convention 10.

RoHS-compliant Parts Naming Needs Standardization

(November 17, 2004) Phoenix, Ariz.—More than half of U.S.-based contract manufacturers expect to be ready for the European Union's Restrictions on Hazardous Materials (RoHS). But will suppliers' refusal to change part numbers on compliant components put a wrench in the whole process?

Camtek Ltd. Announces 2004 Third Quarter Results

(November 17, 2004) Migdal Haemek, Israel—Camtek Ltd. announces results for the third quarter of 2004, which ended on September 30.

Nexlogic Technologies Receives ISO 9001:2000 Certification

(November 16, 2004) San Jose, Calif.—Nexlogic Technologies Inc., a PCB service provider, announces that it has been awarded ISO 9001:2000 certification as part of its business strategy for continuous improvement of its services and products.

SMTA Expands Knowledge Base Online

IPC Honors Individual for Work on IPC-9194 Guideline

(November 15, 2004) Hudson, N.H.—Michael Sivigny of CeTaQ Americas was recently among 13 individuals honored by IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) for their leadership and significant contributions in the development of IPC-9194, Implementation of Statistical Process Control (SPC) Applied to Printed Board Assembly Manufacture Guideline. The awards were presented at IPCWorks 2004, held October 24-28 in Minneapolis, Minn.

Diplan Offers Asian Solution

(November 15, 2004) Shanghai—diplan opens an office in Shanghai and strengthens its Shenzhen operations. Because of these changes, diplan can now offer its SMT software solutions on the doorstep of many of its customers.

Universal Celebrates 15-year Anniversary with Hitachi

(November 12, 2004) Binghamton, N.Y.—Universal Instruments has celebrated 15 years of its OEM agreement with Hitachi High Technologies (HHT) to market the 4797 HSP high-speed, turret-style placement machine.

Asymtek Signs New Distributor Agreement

(November 12, 2004) Carlsbad, Calif.—Asymtek has recently added a new team of sales representatives, Fuji Do Brasil Máquinas Industriais LTDA, to market their automated fluid dispensing systems throughout South America and Brazil. Fuji Do Brasil is headquartered in Sao Paulo, with branches in Manaus and Campinas. All facilities have show rooms that feature demo equipment and offer customer training, on-site equipment service and spare parts.

Siemens Strengthens Logistics Division

(November 11, 2004) Grand Rapids, Mich.—Siemens announces that it has finalized the integration of Siemens Dematic Corp. of Grand Rapids, Mich., Siemens Dematic Postal Automation L.P. of Arlington, Texas and Siemens Dematic Electronic Assembly Systems of Norcross, Ga. The combined organization is called Siemens Logistics and Assembly Systems Inc. (Siemens L&A).

Solectron to Manufacture the Personal Internet Communicator Introduced by AMD

(November 11, 2004) Mumbai, India—Solectron Corp. announces that it has been chosen to manufacture the Personal Internet Communicator (PIC), a new consumer device that was developed and designed by AMD. The PIC was developed to provide affordable computing and Internet access in high-growth markets, with the goal of providing 50 percent of the world's population with Internet access and computing capabilities by the year 2015.

10th Pan Pacific Symposium & Exhibit Program Announced

(November 11, 2004) Minneapolis, Minn.—The 10th Annual Pan Pacific Microelectronics Symposium & Exhibit, to be held January 25-27, 2005 at the Sheraton Kauai Resort in Kauai, Hawaii, promotes international technical interchange and provides a premier forum for extensive networking among industry professionals and business leaders throughout the Pacific Basin.

Cleaning and Lead-free Topics at SMTA Chapter Meeting

(November 10, 2004) Nashville, Tenn.—The SMTA Intermountain Chapter will hold its next meeting focusing on cleaning and lead-free on Thursday, November 11, 2004, at Computrol, Meridian, Idaho.

Valor Announces Version 7.3 of Trilogy 5000 Assembly and Enterprise 300 DFM Solution

(November 10, 2004) Munich, Germany—Valor Computerized Systems announces that it has released version 7.3 of its Trilogy 5000 solution for PCB process preparation and assembly programming operations, and its Enterprise 3000 premium DFM solution for virtual manufacturability and physical design verification of CAD data. Version 7.3 is now shipping and available through Valor sales offices and integration partners worldwide.

First International WLP Congress Successful

(November 10, 2004) Minneapolis, Minn.—The first International Wafer-Level Packaging Congress (IWLPC) that was held October 10-12, 2004 at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose, Calif. was a great success. Co-sponsored by the SMTA and Chip Scale Review Magazine, it included two days of exhibits and a three-day technical program that focused on leading-edge IC packaging and test technologies with special emphasis on 3D stacked packaging.

Raw Materials Prices Now Available on IPC Website

(November 10, 2004) Bannockburn, Ill.—Raw materials prices, especially metals, have a direct impact on the cost of producing electronics and affect the entire electronics supply chain. To increase awareness of metals prices, the IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) is providing a new addition to its Website.

Agilent Develops In-Circuit Test Methodology for High-Density Board Designs

(November 9, 2004) Palo Alto, Calif.—Agilent Technologies announces that it has developed bead probe methodology for in-circuit test of high-speed and high-density PCBs. Bead probe technology addresses the needs of electronics contract manufacturers for accurate testing of increasingly complex PCBs, such as those used in communications and computing.

V.J. Electronix Opens New Office in Georgia

(November 9, 2004) Bohemia, N.Y.— V.J. Electronix, an X-ray inspection technology and rework systems company, announces the opening of its newest office in Georgia.

KIC and Kester Form European Partnership

(November 9, 2004) San Diego, Calif.—KIC announces a new partnership with Kester Europe. Beginning in November 2004, Kester Europe will usee KIC's thermal process development and optimization tools in their European customer support operations.

Ion Publishes Paper on Getting Accurate Measurement Picture for AC Ionizers

(November 8, 2004) Berkeley, Calif.—Ion Systems Inc. announces that it has published the newest addition to its line of Technology Solution technical papers, titled "Getting the Full Picture from Your Charge Plate Monitor." The paper describes the limitations of measuring AC ionizers with only a charge plate monitor (CPM), and recommends how to see previously invisible maximum offset voltages produced by AC ionizers.

NEMI Summit Focuses on RoHS/WEEE Compliance Concerns

(November 8, 2004) Herndon, Va.—Nearly 190 people discussed concerns with the quickly approaching deadlines for the European Union's (EU) RoHS (Restriction on use of certain Hazardous Substances) and WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment) directives at the recent NEMI RoHS/Lead-free Summit in Louisville, Colo. on October 18-20, 2004.

Juki Partners with Cogiscan for RFID Smart Feeders

(November 8, 2004) Bromont, Quebec, Canada—Juki Automation Systems Europe has signed an OEM re-selling agreement with Cogiscan to integrate RFID Smart feeder technology in the new generation of SMT placement machines.

SchmartBOARD Announces November 2004 Contest Winners

(November 5, 2004) Fremont, Calif.—SchmartBOARD is giving away six combination packs a month in the U.S. and Canada. Two will be given to professional engineers, two to engineering students and two to electronics hobbyists each month. Similar contests are running in other countries in partnership with SchmartBOARD distributors. One only has to sign up once to be entered automatically every month.

DEK Announces Appointment of Americas Operations Manager for Process Support Products

(November 5, 2004) San Jose, Calif.—DEK has appointed Steve Hunter to the position of Americas Operations Manager for Process Support Products, supporting the company's logistics infrastructure and manufacturing operations for DEK's stencil, tooling and consumables products.

Despatch Industries Appoints IR Processing Group Leader

(November 5, 2004) Minneapolis, Minn.—Despatch Industries announces that it has named Carson Richert to lead its Infrared (IR) Processing group. The appointment adds to Despatch's IR engineering and sales team and reportedly strengthens the company's position in the IR thermal processing market.

BPA Issues New FPC Report

(November 4, 2004) Surrey, U.K.—In their new report, BPA shows the key growth areas for flexible printed circuits (FPC) over the next five years will be in mobile phones, display interconnects, digital cameras and PDAs. New applications using flex and flex-rigid substrates in the medical, aerospace and military markets will also emerge; however, BPA predicts that these markets will remain relatively small in comparison to the mobile phone, display and camera markets.

IPC's SPVC Releases Data on Lead-free Alloy Comparison

(November 4, 2004) Bannockburn, Ill.—The IPC and its Solder Products Value Council (SPVC) announce the release of a white paper, summarizing Phase 2 of a three-phase, million-dollar research and testing program on tin/silver/copper lead-free alloys.

DEK Central Europe Technological Conference Provides Opportunities, Establishes Communication Platform

(November 4, 2004) Berkshire, U.K.—Companies involved in the Romanian and Bulgarian SMT industries came together at DEK Central Europe's Technological Conference on October 1, 2004, held in Poiana Brasov, Romania.

Three-Five Systems Expands E-business Initiatives with Future Electronics

(November 3, 2004) Tempe, Ariz.—Three-Five Systems (TFS) announces that it has extended its electronic purchase order transaction system to include Future Electronics. The two companies are interfacing via RosettaNet standard Partner Interface Process (PIP). RosettaNet is a non-profit consortium of more than 500 technology organizations working to create, implement, and promote open e-business standards and services.

Mainland China Semiconductor Fab Building Not Making Dent in Internal Needs

(November 3, 2004) New Tripoli, Pa.—Skyrocketing consumption of ICs in Mainland China is outpacing growth in domestically made ICs, despite huge expansion programs, according to the report, "Mainland China's Semiconductor and Equipment Markets: A Complete Analysis Of The Technical, Economic and Political Issues," recently published by the Information Network, a market research company.

Solectron Receives Teradata's 2004 Supplier Excellence Award

(November 3, 2004) Milpitas, Calif.—Solectron Corporation, a provider of electronics manufacturing and supply chain services, announces that it has been awarded Teradata's 2004 Supplier Excellence Award for superior execution and supply chain service. Teradata is a division of NCR Corp.

SMTA Announces Call for Participation for Medical Electronics Symposium

(November 2, 2004) Minneapolis, Minn.—The SMTA announces plans for the 2005 Medical Electronics Symposium to be held April 26-27, 2005, in Minneapolis, Minn. The conference chairman is Jeff Kennedy of Celestica Inc., and the call for papers is now open through December 3, 2004.

Three-Five Systems Names New Regulatory Affairs Director

Three-Five Systems (TFS) announces that it has named Leslie Honda to the newly created post of regulatory affairs director.

Bliss Industries Expands with New VP of Sales & Marketing

(November 2, 2004) Milpitas, Calif.—Bliss Industries announces that the search for a VP of sales & marketing has been completed. Samuel Sher has accepted the position and will start in mid-November 2004.

SMTA Announces Board of Directors Election Results

(November 1, 2004) Minneapolis, Minn.—The SMTA announces its election results for the Board of Directors for the term that began at SMTA International, which occurred September 26-30, 2004.

Gift from Universal Supports Binghamton University

(November 1, 2004) Binghamton, N.Y.—Universal Instruments has presented Binghamton University's Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science with one of their high-accuracy surface mount placement platforms to support small systems packaging educational and research programs in the Department of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering (SSIE) and Integrated Electronics Engineering Center (IEEC).

GlobalSpec Announces Expanded Partnership with PennWell

(November 1, 2004) Troy, N.Y.—GlobalSpec, a search engine and online resource for engineers and technical buyers, announces an expanded partnership with PennWell Corporation, a business-to-business media company providing print and online publications across multiple industries.

HumiSeal VP/GM Retires after 44 Years of Service

(October 29, 2004) Pittsburgh, Pa.—HumiSeal announces that John Waryold, after 44 years of contribution, retired on August 31, 2004. He began his career in 1960 in the lab and progressed in responsibility through lab management, technical service and sales, and most recently served as the VP and GM for 20 years.

DEK Signs External Equipment Alliance with Dow Corning

(October 29, 2004) Flemington, N.J.—DEK and Dow Corning have recently signed an equipment alliance in an effort to maximize customer service. It is assumed that both sets of clients will benefit from the alliance through time and cost savings.

IPC Releases Book-to-Bill Ratios and IMS/PCB Business Report for September 2004

(October 29, 2004) Bannockburn, Ill.—IPC, the Association Connecting Electronics Industries, announces the findings from its monthly PCB Statistical Program.

U.S. Digital Purchases Siemens Siplace CF Machine

(October 28, 2004) Norcross, Ga.—After winning a contract for one year of free use of a Siemens Siplace placement machine, U.S. Digital Corporation, based in Washington, has purchased the equipment. This decision came as a result of the Siplace CF's performance and the entire relationship with Siemens.

Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials Group Appoints New Regional Marketing Manager

(October 27, 2004) Jersey City, N.J.—Mike Murphy was recently appointed regional marketing manager for Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials Group (CEAMG). In this role, he will be responsible for all aspects of marketing new and existing products, as well as identifying opportunities for new product development in the Americas region.

IPC Releases New Revisions through Dynamix Technology

(October 27, 2004) Kidlington, Oxfordshire, U.K.—The IPC has released Revision B to IPC-6012, Qualification and Performance Specification for Rigid Printed Boards, and Revision G to IPC-A-600, Acceptability of Printed Boards, both available through Dynamix Technology.

YESTech Announces Sale of 100th System to Apsco

(October 27, 2004) San Clemente, Calif.—YESTech Inc. has announced the shipment of its 100th YTV automated optical inspection (AOI) system to Apsco International, a Cleveland-based provider of electronics manufacturing services (EMS). The system is one of two that were purchased by Apsco and incorporates YESTech's side-viewing Thin Camera technology for maximum defect coverage.

4th Dimension PCB Moves Offices to Florida

(October 26, 2004) Sunrise, Fla.—The move stems from 4th Dimension PCB's growth in the last year. 4th Dimension PCB is an engineering service and PCB design center, with expertise in Mentor Graphic Expedition and PADS software and services through on-site support with contractors or outsourcing to their design center.

Elcoteq to Manufacture Vitelcom's Mobile Phones in Manaus, Brazil

(October 26, 2004) Irving, Texas—Elcoteq Network Corporation, global provider of EMS for the communications technology industry, has signed an agreement with Vitelcom Mobile Technology to manufacture CDMA phones on a turnkey, assemble-to-order basis, ready for distribution to end-users. Manufacturing will begin in Manaus, Brazil in late October 2004.

Sherwood Technology Opens New Applications Laboratory

(October 26, 2004) Widnes, Cheshire, U.K.—Sherwood Technology Ltd. announces the launch of its Applications Laboratory. This facility demonstrates the future possibilities of laser marking, enabling current and potential licensees and end users to test the final results of using Sherwood's color-change technologies to mark their products using a wide range of lasers.

Cookson Electronics Appoints New Global Director of Product Management

(October 25, 2004) Jersey City, N.J.—Bruce Moloznik was recently appointed global director of product management for Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials Group (CEAMG). He will direct the global product management team that is responsible for all ALPHA branded products and for the execution of all product line strategies, including Product Technology Road Mapping, New Product Development and the Global Lead-Free Knowledge Network initiative.

Solectron Appoints Matti Virtanen President of EMEA

(October 25, 2004) Milpitas, Calif.—Solectron Corporation, a provider of electronics manufacturing and integrated supply chain services, has appointed Matti Virtanen to the newly created position of senior VP and president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He joined the company on October 4, 2004.

International Rectifier's iPOWIR Building Block Wins Award in China

(October 25, 2004) Los Angeles, Calif.—International Rectifier (IR) announces its iP1201 iPOWIR power building block has won the "Top 10 DC-DC Award" from Electronic Products China (EPC) magazine. The iP1201 is the industry's first dual-output, two-phase DC-DC power block in a single BGA package for synchronous buck applications.

FKI Logistex Offers Product Financing Through GE Commercial Finance

(October 22, 2004) St. Louis, Mo.—FKI Logistex has agreed to make GE Commercial Finance's Vendor Financial Services a source of financing to the company's customers and distribution channels.

FEINFOCUS Forms Alliance with Unicraft in Japan

(October 22, 2004) Stamford, Conn.—FEINFOCUS announces their new alliance with Unicraft Co., a technical sales company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Unicraft represents the entire line of FEINFOCUS X-ray inspection systems for the electronics and semiconductor industry in Japan.

ZESTRON to Host Precision Cleaning, Lead-Free and Climatic Reliability Workshop

(October 22, 2004) Ashburn, Va.—In association with Kester, Heller Industries and Trek Industries, ZESTRON is hosting a one-day workshop on November 9, 2004, in Tampa, Florida. Topics will range from cleaning, lead-free and potential long-term risks associated with lead-free.

Dow Announces Epoxy Resin Price Increases for North America

(October 21, 2004) Midland, Mich.—Effective November 15, 2004, or as contract terms allow, Epoxy Products and Intermediates (EP&I) of the Dow Chemical Company will be increasing its prices for epoxy resins in North America.

SchmartBOARD to Give Free Samples of Prototyping Boards

(October 21, 2004) Fremont, Calif.—SchmartBOARD, a company that manufactures a new type of prototyping board, has announced a program to give out free samples.

Indium Announces New Agent in Arizona

(October 21, 2004) Clinton, N.Y.— Indium Corporation of America is now represented in the Arizona area by Bobet Corporation. Founded in 1997, Bobet will service and sell Indium's complete line of assembly products. Bob Bracher, president of Bobet, has over 25 years of national and international sales and marketing experience in the electronics industry.

Nepcon 2005's New Exhibition Director Praises Strong Formula

(October 20, 2004) Surrey, U.K.—Nepcon 2005 will return to the Hilton Metropole in Brighton, on May 11-12, 2005, Reed Exhibitions has confirmed. Retaining the successful format of Nepcon 2004, the 2005 event will allow visitors to get to grips with advanced assembly methods in the Nepcon Lead-Free Experience, and to benefit from Nepcon's traditional comprehensive program of topical seminars. These are presented by key figures who are recognized as experts in their respective fields.

QC Industries Releases Fall 2004 Catalog

(October 20, 2004) Cincinnati, Ohio—QC Industries introduces a new catalog featuring a complete selection of their 125 Series conveyors, including cleated belt, corrosion-resistant, magnetic conveyors, 125 Z Series and 250 Series low-profile conveyors and accessories.

KIC Forms Partnership with Tamura Corporation

(October 19, 2004) San Diego, Calif.—Tamura H. A., known for its reflow ovens and wave solder machines with small footprints, has established a partnership with KIC. This new cooperation enables Tamura H.A. to sell KIC products together with its lead-free ready reflow ovens and wave solder machines.

Adept Technology Announces i-Series Robot Advantage Promotion

(October 19, 2004) Livermore, Calif.—Adept Technology Inc., a leading manufacturer of robotic systems, motion control and machine vision technology, announces its i-Series Robot Advantage Promotion for the Adept Cobra i600 and i800 robots. The promotion is designed to offer customers the competitive advantage of robotic automation over dedicated production lines or offshore manufacturing.

Solectron Completes Microtechnology Divestiture

(October 19, 2004) Milpitas, Calif.—Solectron Corporation, a leading provider of electronics manufacturing and integrated supply chain services, says that it has completed the sale of its Microtechnology business to Francisco Partners.

Dr. Hwang Re-appointed to Export Council of U.S. Department of Commerce

(October 18, 2004)—Dr. Jennie Hwang has been re-appointed to the Export Council of the U.S. Department of Commerce, which was effective on October 14, 2004.

MW Associates Announces Lead-free Series of Seminars in China

(October 18, 2004) Naples, Fla.—Megan Wendling, president of MW Associates, publisher of Lead-Free Magazine.com and a global, all-electronics marketing agency has recognized a need within the electronics industry and has introduced of a series of lead-free seminars to be held throughout China in 2004 and 2005.

Milara Unveils Updated Web Site

(October 18, 2004) Medfield, Mass.—Milara Inc., a leading vendor of fully and semiautomatic stencil printers for SMT and wafer printing applications, offers users a thorough and information-rich resource at www.milarasmt.com.

WEEE services introduced by Ageus Solutions

(October 15, 2004) Ottawa, Ontario, Canada—Ageus Solutions announces the launch of a complete, end-to-end WEEE compliance package. Ageus is now ready to provide full-service logistical, operational, financial and engineering solutions for issues related to WEEE fulfillment.

DEK's Micron-class Platform Nets EID's Assembly Solution of the Year Award

(October 14, 2004) Flemington, N.J.—DEK's new Micron-class high accuracy mass imaging platform is the Assembly Solution of the Year, judges at the Electronic Industry Design (EID) Awards decide. The important technologies designed into the Micron-class, which includes the Europa and Galaxy configurations, caught the panel's imagination over strong entries by other equipment and material developers.

Research and Markets Announces Voluntary and Mandatory Regulations Impacting Green Labelling

(October 14, 2004) Dublin, Ireland—Research and Markets announces the addition of Green Labelling: Global Guide for Marketers in the New Millennium to their offering.

Pro-Mation to Attend Upcoming SMTA Waukesha, WI Event

(October 13, 2004) Kenosha, Wis.—Pro-Mation Inc. announces that president Gary Goldberg will be present at the SMTA's upcoming Electronics Assembly Technology Forum and Vendor Expo, on Tuesday, October 19, 2004.

KIC Appoints Comtree Inc./Northtouch Canada Inc. as New Representatives in Canada

(October 13, 2004) San Diego,Calif.—KIC announces that Comtree Inc./Northtouch Canada Inc. will represent KIC in the Canadian region, effective immediately.

Speedline Technologies Schedules Free Monthly Technical Webcast Seminars

(October 13, 2004) Franklin, Mass.—Speedline Technologies has scheduled a series of free monthly technical webcast seminars exploring the major challenges facing engineers in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Each of the seminars, to be hosted by industry experts, will include the sharing of "knowledge-in-process" expertise, how-to insights and a Q&A session.

Excellon Automation Appoints Yaron Shani as Director of Engineering

(October 13, 2004) Torrance, Calif.—Excellon Automation announces the appointment of Yaron Shani as the director of engineering.

Kester to hold Lead-free Mini-Clinic at Mexitrónica 2004

(October 12, 2004) Des Plaines, Ill.—As the WEEE and RoHS directives take effect in Europe, and with the increased production of lead-free products in Asia, lead-free assembly in North America is gaining momentum.

Kester, Metcal, BTU International and STI Will Present Upcoming Lead-free Assembly Seminar

(October 12, 2004) Des Plaines, Ill.—Kester, Metcal, BTU International and Soldering Technology Inc. (STI) will present a series of Lead-free Technology Seminars scheduled to take place throughout 2004. The next seminar will take place Tuesday, November 9 through Wednesday, November 10, 2004, in Atlanta, Ga.

SMTA Releases Industry's First Cost Estimating Guidelines

(October 12, 2004) Minneapolis, Minn.—Featuring ProfitPro, an Excel-based software application that calculates the cost and profit related to PWB assembly, the SMTA Cost Estimating Guidelines are intended to systematically model real-time cost estimating (RTCE) in the electronics industry.

Four Free Keynoters Announced for APEX, IPC Printed Circuits Expo and the Designers Summit 2005

(October 8, 2004) Bannockburn, Ill.—IPC announces its four keynote speakers for APEX, IPC Printed Circuits Expo and the Designers Summit, to be held on February 22-24 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Each keynote address is free to all attendees.

phoenix|x-ray Establishes East Coast Headquarters, Maintains Offices on West Coast, Enhances Sales and Support Network

(October 8, 2004) St. Petersburg, Fla.—phoenix|x-ray Systems + Services, innovator of the first commercially available nanofocus x-ray system and first fully automated failure analysis system, announced it has completed the movement of its U.S. headquarters from Camarillo, Calif. to St. Petersburg, Fla.

New Global Platform Price Reductions from Universal

(October 8, 2004) Binghamton, N.Y.—Placement equipment specialist and line solution provider, Universal Instruments, has announced a significant price reduction across its best-in-class platform product ranges in all geographic regions, effective immediately. The objective is to offer customers highly competitive and identical prices around the world.

Kester Expands Into Mexico

(October 7, 2004) Des Plaines, Ill.—Kester has announced that it will open a facility in Nogales, Mexico to meet unprecedented industry demand for its interconnect solder materials. These include solder paste, wire and flux product lines.

Pro-mation to Attend Upcoming SMTA Long Island Event

(October 7, 2004) Kenosha, Wis.—Pro-mation Inc. announces that president Gary Goldberg will be exhibiting at the SMTA's upcoming Long Island, N.Y. Chapter Tabletop Trade Show and Technical Sessions on Thursday, October 14, 2004.

Industry Analysts Join MEPTEC as Co-Keynote Speakers and Session Chairs for November Conference

(October 7, 2004) Mountain View, Calif.—MEPTEC announces that industry analysts Mark Stromberg and Dan Tracy will act as session chairs and moderators for its one-day technical symposium, titled "Innovations in Equipment and Materials for Microelectronic Packaging: Complexity Drives Collaboration," to be held on November 11, 2004 at the Hyatt San Jose (San Jose, Calif.) and deliver a co-keynote presentation to kick things off.

BP Microsystems to Participate in Upcoming CEMEX Events

(October 6, 2004) Houston, Texas—BP Microsystems, a leading supplier of device programming systems worldwide, announces that it will participate in the Contract Electronics Manufacturers Conference and Exhibition (CEMCEX) that is scheduled to take place at the Bara Hotel in Budapest on October 14, 2004, and at the Czech event that will take place at the Holiday Inn in Prague on October 12, 2004.

Indium Corporation Opens China Facility

(October 6, 2004) Clinton, N.Y.—Indium Corporation of America announced the opening of their newest facility. Located in the Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu, China, the facility houses solder-paste manufacturing and quality operations as well as fully integrated sales and technical support teams. This new facility offers prompt responses to customer needs to ensure world-class service throughout China.

IPC Releases New Book-to-Bill Ratios and IMS/PCB Business Report for August 2004

(October 5, 2004) Northbrook, Ill.—The IPC Association Connecting Electronics Industries announced the findings from its monthly PCB Statistical Program.

Excellon Automation Appoints New Vice President of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Will Also Resume Regional User Group Meetings

(October 5, 2004) Torrance, Calif.—Excellon Automation announces the appointment of Kurt Weber as the vice president of Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT).

IMEC Program Seeks Innovative Nanotechnology Solutions

(October 4, 2004) Leuven, Belgium — Using nanotechnologies to replace and/or extend the life of advanced CMOS manufacturing technologies is the goal of a new IMEC program announced today. IMEC's industrial affiliation program (IIAP) will seek alternatives to the current use of scaling to reduce device dimensions using nanotechnologies.

Seminar to Explore Impact of Pb-free on PCB Test and Inspection

(October 4, 2004) Palo Alto, Calif. — Aligent Technologies will host an e-seminar to focus on issues related to test and inspection when moving to lead-free electronics manufacturing environments.

SEMICON Japan 2004 Set For December

(October 4, 2004) Tokyo, Japan — SEMICON Japan, the world's largest exposition for semiconductor manufacturing, returns to the Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan, December 1 through 3, 2004. This annual exposition is organized by SEMI. More than 1,600 exhibiting companies will occupy about 4,100 booths.

Solectron Reports Improved Fourth Quarter Results

(October 1, 2004) Milpitas, Calif. — Solectron Corp., a provider of electronics manufacturing and integrated supply chain services, reported sales of $3.01 billion in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, up 23.4 percent from $2.44 billion in the fourth quarter of last year. Sales in the third quarter of 2004 were $3.04 billion.

SMTC Corp. Appoints Top-level Management

(October 1, 2004) Toronto, Ontario — SMTC Corp.'s board of directors announced the appointment of John E. Caldwell as the company's new president and CEO, effective immediately. Caldwell has served as interim president and CEO since October 2003, and also has been chairman of the SMTC board of directors since March 2004.

Celestica Wins Awards for Excellence in Customer Service

(October 1, 2004) Toronto, Ontario — Celestica Inc. has been awarded two Supplier Performance Awards by Sun Microsystems Inc. Celestica was awarded Sun's "Best in Class Award" for its printed circuit assembly (PCA) manufacturing services and the "Meritorious Award" for its systems integration services. Both awards are in recognition of Celestica's contribution to Sun's business.

Vishay Acquires Thin-film Business from Aeroflex

(September 30, 2004) Malvern, Pa. — Vishay Intertechnology Inc. acquired the Aeroflex Pearl River Thin Film Interconnect operations, previously known as MIC Technology, from Aeroflex for $8,800,000.

PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio Falls in August

(September 30, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — The IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries released today the findings from its monthly Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.

Universal Releases New Plus Service Extended Warranty Products

(September 29, 2004) Binghamton, N.Y. — Universal Instruments Corp. has expanded and enhanced the services of its Optima Plus solution model and reduced the price of extended warranty products.

Indium Corp. to Exhibit at Regional SMTA Shows

(September 29, 2004) Utica, N.Y. — Indium Corp. of America will exhibit at several regional SMTA trade shows during the month of October 2004, including: - -

SMTA International Wafer Level Packaging Congress (IWLPC) in San Jose (October 10-12)

SMTA in Philadelphia (October 12)

SMTA in Long Island (October 14)

Dow Corning, INVINT Sign Joint Development Contract

(September 28, 2004) Midland, Mich. — Dow Corning Corp. signed a joint development contract with Scotland's INVINT Limited, specialists in conductive polymer interconnect technology. The agreement is expected to lead to the development of a variety of new interconnect technologies for the global electronics industry.

Air2U Uses RFMD's UltimateBlue Single-Chip Bluetooth Component

(September 28, 2004) Greensboro, N.C. — RF Micro Devices, Inc., a provider of proprietary radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for wireless communications applications, announced that Air2U, a Taiwanese designer and manufacturer of wireless consumer electronics products, is using RFMD's SiW3000 UltimateBlue single-chip Bluetooth component in its USB adapter.

MEPTEC Symposium to Focus on Industry Advancements

(September 28, 2004) Mountain View, Calif. — The MicroElectronics Packaging and Test Engineering Council (MEPTEC) will host a technical symposium titled "Innovations in Equipment and Materials for Microelectronics Packaging: Complexity Drives Collaboration" on November 11, 2004 at the Hyatt San Jose in San Jose, California.

SolidWorks Gives Aspiring Engineers an Affordable Technical Education

(September 27, 2004) Concord, Mass. — Twenty-four government polytechnic institutes in India will use SolidWorks 3D mechanical design software to prepare aspiring engineers for high-paying, skilled jobs in the competitive Indian economy, SolidWorks Corporation announced.

Preco Awards Six Sigma Blackbelt, Announces New Test Engineer Manager

(September 27, 2004) Morton, Ill. — Preco Electronics, an electronics manufacturing services provider serving middle market OEMs, announces the graduation of Jason Janssen, being awarded a Six Sigma Black Belt, and the appointment of Thomas Goehl as test engineer manager at the corporate headquarters in Morton, Illinois.

Call for Papers: SMTA Medical Electronics Symposium

(September 27, 2004) Edina, Minn. — The SMTA is pleased to announce its Medical Electronics Symposium will be held April 26 through 27, 2005 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jeff Kennedy, Celestica, conference chairman and Dr. Ken Gilleo, ET Trends LLC and SMTA vice president for technical programs invite you to submit an abstract to participate in this dynamic program.

PCB East 2004 to Showcase Latest Products, Services and Technologies

(September 27, 2004) Atlanta, Ga. — The ninth annual PCB Design Conference East 2004, scheduled for October 4 through 8 at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, New Hampshire, will feature more than 50 exhibiting companies, each displaying and demonstrating its products, services and technologies for the printed circuit board (PCB) design industry.

EXFO Consolidates Photonics, Life Science Operations

(September 24, 2004) Canada — EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering Inc. is consolidating operations of its Photonics and Life Sciences Division.

Advanced Circuits CEO Named One of Nation's Best Bosses by Fortune Small Business

(September 24, 2004) Aurora, Colo. — Advanced Circuits announces that CEO Ron Huston has been named one of the best bosses in the country for his innovative reward-based management practices.

KIC to Exhibit SlimKIC Software for Rework and Batch Ovens at ATE

(September 24, 2004) San Diego — KIC will introduce profiling for rework and other applications at the upcoming Assembly Technology Expo, scheduled for September 26 through 30, 2004, at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

Pulse Unveils Redesigned Web Site

Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials Announces Price Increase for Flux Product Line

(September 23, 2004) Jersey City, N.J. — Based on a 78 percent increase in isopropyl alcohol (IPA) prices since June 2003, Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials has announced a price increase limited to its IPA-based flux product line.

ERA Wins EC Contract for Review of RoHS Directive Exemptions

(September 23, 2004) UK — ERA Technology has been awarded a contract by the European Commission to review specific exemptions under the RoHS Directive.

Solectron Names Neese Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Account Management

(September 23, 2004) Milpitas, Calif. — Solectron Corp. has appointed Marty Neese as executive vice president, Worldwide Sales and Account Management.

Tyco Electronics Names Tam Marketing Manager for Asia-Pacific

(September 23, 2004) Willow Grove, Pa. — Tyco Electronics Automation Group, a business segment of Tyco International Ltd., has added Mike Tam to its team.

NEPCON Presents WKK Best Customer Award to WKK President at NEPCON Shenzhen Show

(September 22, 2004) Asia — WKK was confirmed as one of NEPCON'S largest purchaser of booth space worldwide

Cadence Sponsors Renovation of EDA Laboratory at Czech Technical University in Prague

(September 22, 2004) San Jose, Calif. and Prague, Czech Republic — Cadence Design Systems Inc. has completed major renovations of the electronic design automation laboratory at Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic, as part of the company's extensive University Partner Program.

AIM Appoints Cluff and Associates as Manufacturers' Rep for Colorado

(September 22, 2004) Rhode Island and Denver — AIM announces the appointment of Cluff and Associates as manufacturers' rep for AIM's complete line of solders and related assembly materials in Colorado.

Lightspeed Marks First-Year Anniversary

(September 22, 2004) Methuen, Mass. — Lightspeed Manufacturing has marked its first anniversary in business, and is seeing a rapid increase in orders in recent months, after surviving the crippling downturn in U.S. electronics manufacturing that began in early 2001.

Siemens to Exhibit at ATE

(September 21, 2004) Norcross, Ga. — Siemens Dematic AG announces that the SIPLACE HF/3 will be on display at the Assembly Technology Expo (ATE) exhibition and conference in Rosemont, Ill., from September 28 to 30 in booth number 5609.

Gore Expands Customer Service Offerings through Launch of Online Store

(September 21, 2004) Elkton, Md. — W. L. Gore & Associates Inc. has expanded its customer service offerings through the launch of its electronic products online store.

Nam Tai Electronics Appoints New CFO and Assistant CFO

(September 21, 2004) Vancouver, British Columbia — Nam Tai Electronics Inc. announces that Wong Chi Chung (Charles C. Wong) has been appointed chief financial officer (CFO) and Joseph Edward Silva, assistant chief financial officer (ACFO) of the company.

Speedline Receives Patents for Enhanced System of Post-Print 2-D Inspection of Circuit Boards

(September 21, 2004) Franklin, Mass. — Speedline Technologies Inc. has been awarded U.S. patent #6,738,505 for its invention of the texture-based method of analyzing potential bridge defects on circuit boards during the post-print inspection process.

Humiseal VP Waryold Retires After 44 Years

(September 20, 2004) Pittsburgh — HumiSeal announces that John Waryold, after 44 years of exceptional contribution, retired on August 31, 2004.

JPSA Seeks Reps for Global Sales Network

(September 20, 2004) Hollis, N.H. — JP Sercel Associates (JPSA) is seeking manufacturer's representatives in the U. S. and Europe to sell its UV excimer and DPSS laser micromachining, wafer processing and LED liftoff systems, as well as its wide range of contract laser processing services.

SMTA Electronics Assembly Technology Forum to be Held in Wisconsin

(September 20, 2004) Cedarburg, Wis. — An Electronics Assembly Technology Forum will be held on October 19, 2004, in conjunction with the First Annual Wisconsin Chapter Vendor Show, featuring exhibits from more than 24 industry suppliers.

Creative Automation Places in 'Top 100' Product Listing

(September 17, 2004) Sun Valley, Calif. — Creative Automation Co. announces that its true volume piston positive displacement pump has been voted as one of the year's top 100 products or services by readers of Medical Products Manufacturing News (MPMN) Magazine.

COMET Completes Capital Increase, Gains Immediate Benefit for FEINFOCUS

(September 17, 2004) Flamatt, Switzerland — COMET Holding AG has completed the sale of 100,000 new shares to existing shareholders and as a public offering.

Indium's Lee to Present Workshop at CEMCEX

(September 17, 2004) Utica, N.Y. — Indium Corp. of America Vice President of Technology Ning-Cheng Lee, Ph.D. will present a workshop entitled, "Lead-free Soldering — Metallurgical Fundamentals, Reflow Application and Challenges" at the CEMCEX Conference in the Czech Republic on October 12 and in Hungary on October 14.

SMT Resource Aligns with Encore Capital Leasing to Offer Financial Solutions

(September 17, 2004) Temple, Texas and Dallas — SMT Resource Group LLC is working with Encore Capital Leasing to introduce a leasing program designed to provide financial solutions that complete the circle of equipment procurement, management and final disposal.

ATS Receives Follow-on Automation Systems Orders for Flat Panel Display Manufacturing

(September 16, 2004) Cambridge, Ontario, Canada — ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. has received an additional US $12.7 million (CDN $16.6 million) in follow-on automation systems orders from a major supplier of flat panel display materials.

IPC Headquarters, List Serves, Web Sites Unavailable September 17

(September 16, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries will be closed on Friday, September 17 while the office is moved to Bannockburn, Ill.

Teleconference to Address RoHS Data Collection

(September 16, 2004) College Park, Md. — Electronics makers will have an exclusive opportunity to find out how the world's top electronics component suppliers and manufacturers are dealing with gathering data on thousands of parts at "RoHS: Coping with Data Collection and Reporting Nightmares," another Take it Back! Teleconference on September 28 at 1:30 pm.

Electronics Industry Largely Unaware of UK Ban on Some Brominated Flame Retardants, Says Soldertec

(September 16, 2004) UK — The recent UK ban on the use of certain brominated flame retardants in the manufacture of new electrical and electronic equipment has resulted in confusion in the electronics industry.

Asymtek Expands Distributor Network in China

(September 15, 2004) Carlsbad, Calif. — Asymtek has added four new teams of sales distributors to represent their line of automated fluid dispensing systems in China: D-TEK, Leeport, Antais Electronics Technology Co. Ltd. (ATS) and Samurai Spirits Inc. (SSI).

IPC, FED Sponsor Embedded Passives Conference in Munich, Germany

(September 15, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — To address the growing interest in embedded passive component technology, IPC has teamed with the Fachverband Elecktronik Design e.V. (FED) to create a conference on the subject.

Vianco Joins S-Bond Technologies Advisory Board

(September 15, 2004) Lansdale, Pa. — Paul Vianco, Ph.D., an expert in the formulation, testing and uses of solder materials, has joined the Advisory Board of S-Bond Technologies LLC (SBT).

Soldertec Global Develops Lead-free CD-ROMs

(September 15, 2004) UK — A new series of interactive CD-ROMs has been developed by Soldertec Global to assist engineers with the practical introduction of lead-free hand soldering, wave soldering and reflow processes.

NEPCON Texas 2004 to Feature Six Free Educational Sessions and SMTA Texas Conference

(September 14, 2004) Norwalk, Conn. — The NEPCON Texas electronics manufacturing trade show will feature suppliers displaying the full range of electronics manufacturing solutions including adhesives, advance microelectronics, test equipment, rework, wire and cable assembly, and active components.

Reptron Electronics Receives New Production Contract with Hunt Technologies

(September 14, 2004) Tampa, Fla. — Reptron Electronics Inc. announces that its Hibbing, Minn. facility has been awarded a multi-million dollar production contract from Hunt Technologies Inc., a leading global provider of automatic meter reading products.

YESTech to Highlight Cost-Effective AOI Solutions at ATE

(September 14, 2004) San Clemente, Calif. — YESTech will exhibit cost-effective automated optical inspection (AOI) systems at Assembly Technology Expo, the world's largest "all assembly" trade event, taking place September 28 through 30 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

IDEA Establishes Non-conforming Parts Board

(September 14, 2004) Princeton Junction, N.J. — As part of an ongoing effort to fight the war on non-conforming parts, which continue to plague the independent distribution channel, the Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA) has established a "Non-Conforming Parts Board" now accessible via the Internet.

Kester to Hold Lead-free Mini-Clinic at ATE

(September 13, 2004) Rosemont, Ill. — In its continued efforts to assist the North American industry with the lead-free issue, Kester will hold a Lead-free Mini-Clinic at the Assembly Technology Expo (ATE) show here, September 28 through 30.

NWA, CA-CSS Announce Partnership

(September 13, 2004) Portland, Ore. and Beijing — Northwest Analytical Inc. (NWA) has signed a mutually exclusive partnering agreement with CA-China Soft Software Technology Co. Ltd. (CA-CSS).

PFA Software Development Group Earns CMMI Level 3 Rating

(September 13, 2004) Elgin, Ill. — On July 23, 2004, Carnegie Mellon's Software Engineering Institute (SEI) awarded Panasonic Factory Automation's (PFA) Software Development Group with a CMMI Level 3 (Capability Maturity Model Integration) rating.

Transition Automation Creates Open Industry Forum

(September 13, 2004) Billerica, Mass. — Transition Automation President Mark Curtin has established an industry forum that offers insight into printing technology and industry trends in an open exchange forum.

SMTA Toronto Chapter to Focus on Six Sigma

(September 10, 2004) Minneapolis — "The Use of Six Sigma to Design, Manage, Test and Quality Control the Surface Mount Manufacturing Line" will be presented on November 5 by Sammy G. Shina, Ph.D., from the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

DEK to Showcase Offerings at ATE

(September 10, 2004) Flemington, N.J. — When DEK arrives in Chicago later this month for the annual Assembly Technology Expo, electronics assembly professionals will see many firsts.

Elcoteq Continues Expansion Into Brazil

(September 10, 2004) Manaus, Brazil — Elcoteq Network Corp. will initiate manufacturing operations here during autumn 2004.

IPC Releases Revised Key PCB Qualification and Acceptability Standards

(September 10, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries has released IPC-A-600G, Acceptability of Printed Boards, and IPC-6012B, Qualification and Performance Specification for Rigid Printed Boards.

Aqueous Technologies to Exhibit at ATE

(September 9, 2004) Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. — Aqueous Technologies will exhibit its Model SMT1000-LF aqueous cleaning/defluxing system as well as SonicOne at the upcoming Assembly Technology Expo, scheduled for September 26 through 30, 2004, at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.

Cornell Dubilier Approved Supplier of MIL-PRF-39006 Wet Tantalum Capacitors

(September 9, 2004) Liberty, S.C. — Cornell Dubilier has received approval by the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) as a qualified provider of CLR79 and CLR81 wet tantalum capacitors.

Kester to Exhibit Wafer Bumping Paste at IMAPS

(September 9, 2004) Des Plaines, Ill. — Kester will exhibit SE-CURE 7501 at Booth 235 during the upcoming IMAPS exhibition and conference, scheduled for November 14 through 18, 2004, at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif.

Electronics Experts Weigh In on Economic Future of PCB Industry at Regional SMTA Exhibition

(September 9, 2004) St. Paul, Minn. — Attitudes were upbeat at the annual SMTA/IMAPS Upper Midwest Industry Appreciation Day as attendees and exhibitors looked to network with customers and gather sales leads during the small, intimate exhibition.

ECA Monthly Order Index Rebounds Heartily

(September 8, 2004) Arlington, Va. — The monthly order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA) saw a large upturn in August, rebounding from a flat July.

ERNI Publishes Roadmap for Compliance with RoHS

(September 8, 2004) Adelberg, Germany — ERNI has prepared a roadmap to support customers in their planning for compliance with the EU's Restriction on Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive.

Speedline Technologies Continues Strong Financial Performance in Second Quarter

(September 8, 2004) Franklin, Mass. — Speedline Technologies Inc. reports that sales during the second quarter of 2004 were up more than 61 percent over the same period last year.

Polyonics Launches Free Resource

(September 8, 2004) Westmoreland, N.H. — Polyonics Inc. announces free resources for its customers.

Plexus Adds Böer to Board of Directors

(September 7, 2004) Neenah, Wis. — Plexus Corp announces that Ralf Böer has been appointed as a new member of the Plexus Board of Directors.

Creation Technologies Receives $10 Million Canadian Investment from CIBC Capital Partners

(September 7, 2004) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada — Creation Technologies Inc. has received a $10 million investment from CIBC Capital Partners, a division of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

Indium Corp. to Exhibit at ATE

(September 7, 2004) Utica, N.Y. — Indium Corp. of America will be exhibiting at Assembly Technology Expo's Electronics Assembly Pavillion at booth 5631 in Rosemont, Ill. from September 28 through 30.

IPC Offers Lower Prices on Standards in Electronic Format

(September 3, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — To increase demand and accessibility of its standards, IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries announces significantly lower prices on single-user standards and specifications purchased on CD or through electronic download.

Production Solutions' Farlow to Present at SMTA International

(September 3, 2004) Poway, Calif. — Production Solutions Inc. announces that Doug Farlow, president and CEO, will present a paper on efficient line changeover at the upcoming SMTA International conference.

electronicaAsia 2004 Remains Top Electronics Fair in Southeast Asia

(September 3, 2004) Hong Kong — The electronicaAsia show is set for October 13 through 16, 2004, here.

YESTech Expands Operations to Accommodate Growth and Increased Customer Demand

(September 3, 2004) San Clemente, Calif. — YESTech has purchased a new 5,400 sq ft building to accommodate significant business growth.

U.S. ESD Market to Reach $1.5 Billion by 2009, Says BCC

(September 2, 2004) Norwalk, Conn. — According to a soon-to-be-released updated report from Business Communications Co. Inc., RP-099U The Maturing ESD Market: Challenges and Opportunities for the Future, the U.S. market for ESD products, worth an estimated $881.7 million in 2003, is projected to reach $986.1 million in 2004 and $1.5 billion by 2009, an average annual growth rate (AAGR) of 8.3 percent between 2004 and 2009.

NPL Consults with Industry Advisors on New Materials Program

(September 2, 2004) Teddingham, UK — The three combined Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) and industry funded materials programs at NPL are formulated on a rolling basis of one every year.

SMT/HYBRID/PACKAGING 2005 Issues Call for Tutorials

(September 2, 2004) Stuttgart, Germany — The Call for Tutorials for SMT/HYBRID/PACKAGING 2005, taking place April 19 through 25, 2005, in Nuremberg, Germany has been published.

ZESTRON America Introduces Improved Product Labeling System

(September 2, 2004) Ashburn, Va. — In an effort to prevent potential mixup between different cleaning chemistries, ZESTRON is introducing an improved labeling system.

APE Announces Customer Contest

(September 1, 2004) Key Largo, Fla. — APE is currently seeking customer testimonials about the durability of their equipment to be used in a national ad campaign.

NEMI Issues Revises Tin Whisker Acceptance Test Requirements

(September 1, 2004) Herndon, Va. — The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative's (NEMI) Tin Whisker User Group has released revised recommendations for tin whisker acceptance test requirements.

Speedline Technologies Ships 3,000^th MPM UltraPrint 2000 Stencil Printer

(September 1, 2004) Franklin, Mass. — Speedline Technologies Inc. has shipped its 3,000^th MPM UltraPrint 2000 stencil printer, marking a major industry milestone and underscoring Speedline's position as a leader for single-source process solutions for the PCB assembly and semiconductor packaging industries.

IPC Releases New Book-to-Bill Ratios and IMS/PCB Business Report for July 2004

(August 31, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries announces the findings from its monthly Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.

NEMI Sponsors RoHS/Lead-free Summit

(August 31, 2004) Herndon, Va. — The National Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (NEMI) is sponsoring a summit meeting October 18 through 20 to discuss the status of RoHS/WEEE implementation.

NPL's SSTC Summer Meeting Concentrates on Lead-free Solder Reliability

(August 31, 2004) Teddington, UK — National Physical Laboratory's (NPL) summer Soldering Science & Technology Club meeting was held on July 15, 2004, with 10 papers covering aspects relating to lead-free reliability.

Speedline Technologies to Feature Dispensing and Stencil Printer Systems at SEMICON Taiwan 2004

(August 31, 2004) Franklin, Mass. — Speedline Technologies Inc. will showcase its dispensing and stencil printing systems — featuring the newest industry technology — during SEMICON Taiwan 2004 at the Taipei World Trade Center, September 13 through 15, 2004.

Elcoteq Expands Tallinn, Estonia Plant

(August 30, 2004) Espoo, Finland — Elcoteq Network Corp. has expanded its second manufacturing plant, Tallinn 2, in Tallinn, Estonia.

IPC Printed Circuits Expo, APEX and Designers Summit Strong in 2005

(August 30, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — Despite recent high-profile technology event cancellations, IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries reports that its February trade shows will take place as scheduled with enhanced technical offerings.

KEMET Names Lessner Vice President, Tantalum Technology and Technical Marketing

(August 30, 2004) Greenville, S.C. — KEMET Corp. announced today that Philip Lessner, Ph.D. has been named vice president, tantalum technology and technical marketing, reporting directly to KEMET President and COO James McClintock.

M-Wave to Remain Listed on NASDAQ

(August 30, 2004) West Chicago, Ill. — M-Wave Inc. has received formal notice from NASDAQ that it has "evidenced requirements for continued listing on the NASDAQ SmallCap Market," according to the decision of a NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel.

DDi Corp. Reports Increased Net Sales to $72.4 Million for First Quarter 2004

(August 29, 2004) Anaheim, Calif. — DDi Corp. announces financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2004.

ATS Secures CDN $20.3 Million in Automation Systems Orders for Use in Flat Panel Display Manufacturing

(August 27, 2004) Cambridge, Ontario, Canada — ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. has received US $15.5 million (CDN $20.3 million) in orders to design and build a number of fully integrated, automated manufacturing lines for a major supplier of flat panel display materials.

ElectronicAmericas 2005 Grows by 20 Percent

(August 27, 2004) São Paulo, Brazil — In South America, the electronics industry is already getting ready for electronicAmericas 2005, the region's leading trade show for electronic components and assemblies, electronics production, and photonics.

Smartphones to Break Out in Next 12 to 18 Months, Says In-Stat/MDR

(August 27, 2004) Scottsdale, Ariz. — As better devices and lower prices combine with other factors to fuel growth and meet demand, smartphone shipments are set to rise dramatically over the next five years, reports In-Stat/MDR.

Small Businesses to Use $2 Billion in Federal Funding for Advanced R&D

(August 27, 2004) Washington, D.C. — WIFT V (SBIR/STTR — Where Innovation Focuses Technology), an eight-day multi-state, multi-agency federal outreach effort, travels to the Midwest September 9 through 16.

Fabrinet, Northlight Optronics Sign Three-Year Volume Manufacturing Agreement

(August 26, 2004) San Francisco and Jarfalla, Sweden — Fabrinet has signed a three-year volume supply agreement with Northlight Optronics.

GSI Lumonics Announces Order from Taiwan DRAM Manufacturer for Memory Processing Systems

(August 26, 2004) Billerica, Mass. — GSI Lumonics Inc. announces receipt of an order for multiple WaferRepair memory repair systems from a leading semiconductor DRAM manufacturer in Taiwan.

Indium Holds Annual Tech Summit

(August 26, 2004) Clinton, N.Y. — Indium Corp. of America held their Annual Global Technical Summit recently here.

TFS Names Prunier Senior Director and General Manager of New NPI Facility

(August 26, 2004) Redmond, Wash. — Three-Five Systems Inc. (TFS) has named David A. Prunier as senior director and general manager of the company's new product introduction (NPI) and medical manufacturing facility here.

Duraswitch Licenses Patented Switch Technologies to Dawar Technologies

(August 25, 2004) Phoenix and Pittsburgh — Duraswitch has executed a non-exclusive license agreement with Dawar Technologies Inc., a U.S.-based manufacturer of user interface products.

Dynatech Technology Names Groves Technical Services Manager

(August 25, 2004) Horsham, Pa. — Dynatech Technology Inc. has named Larry Groves as technical services manager.

Fairchild Names New VP of Sales and Marketing for Europe

(August 25, 2004) South Portland, Maine — Fairchild Semiconductor announces the promotion of Ole-Petter Brusdal to vice president of sales and marketing for Europe.

Insprucker Named VP of Marketing for Schneider Electric North American Operating Division

(August 25, 2004) Palatine, Ill. — Tom Insprucker has been named vice president of marketing for the Schneider Electric North American Operating Division.

Speedline Technologies Announces New Alliances in Southeast Asia

(August 24, 2004) Franklin, Mass. — Speedline Technologies Inc. has entered into several new alliances to reinforce its sales and marketing reach and customer support services throughout Southeast Asia.

Tyco Electronics Premiers New Products at ATExpo

(August 24, 2004) Willow Grove, Pa. — Tyco Electronics, a business segment of Tyco International Ltd., will be premiering Mirae's MX-Series assembly platform solution at Assembly Technology Expo (ATExpo), held September 26 through 30, 2004, in Rosemont, Ill.

SMTA Ohio Valley Chapter to Focus on Lead-free Solutions

(August 24, 2004) Minneapolis — "Materials, Processing, and Reliability of Lead-free Solder Solutions" will be presented by Dan Baldwin, Ph.D. of Engent Inc./Georgia Institute of Technology on October 26.

Solectron Secures Three-Year, $500 Million Revolving Credit Facility

(August 24, 2004) Milpitas, Calif. — Solectron Corp. has secured a three-year, $500 million revolving credit facility.

CirTran Posts More than 360 Percent Increase in Second Quarterly Production Revenues

(August 23, 2004) Salt Lake City — CirTran Corp. has reported a gross revenue of $1.9 million for the second quarter of 2004, which represents a 361 percent increase over the same period in 2003.

FEINFOCUS Announces New Managing Director for Germany Headquarters

(August 23, 2004) Stamford, Conn. — FEINFOCUS has appointed Frank Gitmans, Ph.D. as managing director of the company's global headquarters in Garbsen, Germany.

GE Toshiba Silicones Opens New Technology Center in Japan

(August 23, 2004) Oyama-cho, Shizuoka, Japan — GE Toshiba Silicones has opened a new electronic materials technology center here.

Delphi, Parlex Enter into Strategic Alliance to Grow Military/Aerospace Market Presence

(August 23, 2004) Methuen, Mass. and Troy, Mich. — Delphi Corp. and Parlex Corp. have entered into a strategic alliance that is expected to benefit both companies' current sales and future growth prospects in the military/aerospace interconnect market.

Advanced Layout Solutions Relaunches Web Site

(August 20, 2004) Berkshire, UK — Advanced Layout Solutions has relaunched its Web site.

Elcoteq Tightens, Simplifies Business Model

(August 20, 2004) Helsinki, Finland — Elcoteq Network Corp. will tighten and simplify its operating model with changes to the company's organization and the management's reporting responsibilities.

IPC Headquarters Moves in September

(August 20, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries will relocate to Bannockburn, Ill., on September 20.

Speedline Technologies Products to be Featured in Live EASi Electronics Assembly Line at ATExpo 2004

(August 20, 2004) Franklin, Mass. — Speedline Technologies' MPM AccuFlex stencil printer and Electrovert OmniExcel reflow soldering system will be showcased as part of the live, working electronics assembly line at the center of this year's Assembly Technology Expo (ATExpo), September 27 through 30, in Chicago.

M-FLEX Provides Earnings Guidance for Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2004, Outlines New Policy for Providing Guidance to Investors

(August 19, 2004) Anaheim, Calif. — Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc. (M-FLEX) expects net sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004 to range between $66 and $71 million and net income for the same period of between $7.5 and $9.1 million.

BAE Systems Completes Acquisition of Practical Imagineering

(August 19, 2004) Rockville, Md. and Reston, Va. — BAE Systems North America has completed its acquisition of Practical Imagineering Inc.

Park Electrochemical Announces Asia-Pacific Director of Product Sales

(August 19, 2004) Lake Success, N.Y. — Park Electrochemical Corp. has promoted Freddy Lee to Asia-Pacific director of product sales.

Watlow Appoints Daub Manager of Internal Communications

(August 19, 2004) St. Louis — Watlow has appointed Frank Daub as manager of internal communications.

AIM Forms Semiconductor Packaging Materials Division

(August 18, 2004) Cranston, R.I. — AIM has formed AIM Semiconductor Packaging Materials.

MVP Appoints East Coast Sales Engineer to be Based at ACI Facility

(August 18, 2004) Carlsbad, Calif. — Machine Vision Products (MVP) appointed Debra Waltemyer as the company's sales engineer for the East Coast.

Solectron Announces Successful Remarketing of Debentures Underlying Equity Security Units

(August 18, 2004) Milpitas, Calif. — Solectron Corp. announces the remarketing of approximately $64.3 million aggregate principal amount of its 7.25 percent subordinated debentures due 2006.

MEMS Making Their Mark in Consumer Electronics, Says In-Stat/MDR

(August 18, 2004) Scottsdale, Ariz. — MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) are growing up fast when it comes to their integration into all kinds of consumer electronics (CE), reports In-Stat/MDR.

Automation South to Represent Cobar Solder Products in U.S. Southeast

(August 17, 2004) Londonderry, N.H. — Cobar Solder Products has signed Automation South to represent its line of solder pastes, fluxes and other electronics soldering materials in the U.S. southeastern states, including Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Georgia.

KIC Announces Hands-on Lead-free Workshop in October

(August 17, 2004) San Diego — KIC will co-sponsor a lead-free workshop from Wednesday, October 13 to Thursday, October 14, 2004 at Engent's facility in Norcross, Ga.

SMTA LA/Orange County Chapter to Focus on Lead-free

(August 17, 2004) Minneapolis — Paul T. Vianco, Ph.D. from Sandia National Laboratories will present "An Introduction into the Materials Engineering Aspects of Lead-free Solder Electronic Interconnections" on October 21.

Speedline Technologies Forms Sales and Marketing with Tamura FA

(August 17, 2004) Franklin, Mass. and Sayama City, Saitama Japan — Speedline Technologies Inc. has entered into a new sales and marketing alliance with Tamura FA System Corp. for the Japanese market.

Manufacturing CFOs to Explore Risk Management, Sales Finance Opportunities in Asia-Pacific, Europe and Latin America

(August 16, 2004) Chicago — Equipment finance experts will explore opportunities for growth-oriented manufacturers in Latin American, Asia-Pacific and Europe at a conference here from September 20 through 21.

ATS Reports First Quarter Results

(August 16, 2004) Cambridge, Ontario, Canada — ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. reports its financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2004.

BP Microsystems to Exhibit at Globaltronics

(August 16, 2004) Houston — BP Microsystems will be exhibiting at GlobalTRONICS 2004 in Singapore, September 7 through 10.

Growing Adoption of Lead-free Electronic Assemblies Challenged by Materials and Process Considerations, Says Frost & Sullivan

(August 16, 2004) Palo Alto, Calif. — New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, "World Surface Mount Technology (SMT) Roadmap," reveals that lead-free solder paste consumption is the highest in Japan, with consumer electronics being the most notable driver for the adoption.

Electronica 2004 Features First-Ever Hub for Wireless Communications

(August 13, 2004) Munich, Germany — For the first time, the wireless communications sector will have its own exhibition area and user forum at electronica 2004.

IPC Secures Congressional Funding for Enabled Passives R&D

(August 13, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries announces its success in lobbying for the U.S. printed circuit board (PCB) industry, resulting in more than $1 million in research funding.

Prototron Circuits Achieves ISO 9001:2000 Certification

(August 13, 2004) Redmond, Wash. — Prototron Circuits has received certification to the ISO 9001:2000 international standard.

Aeroflex Reports Record Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2004 Operating Results

(August 13, 2004) Plainview, N.Y. — Aeroflex Inc. announces operating results for its fourth quarter and year ended June 30, 2004.

Park Electrochemical Corp. Appoints New Independent Auditor

(August 12, 2004) Lake Success, N.Y. — Park Electrochemical Corp. has engaged Grant Thornton LLP as the company's independent auditor for the current fiscal year ending February 27, 2005.

Dow Corning Meets EU Environmental Standards

(August 12, 2004) Midland, Mich. — Dow Corning Corp. announces its readiness for two new European Union environmental laws affecting the global electronics industry.

Indium Offers Pb-free Readiness Assessment Tool

(August 12, 2004) Utica, N.Y. — Indium Corp. of America has launched its Pb-Free Readiness Assessment, an online, interactive tool developed to help manufacturers prepare for a Pb-free work environment.

IPCWorks 2004 Program Announced

(August 12, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries announces its technical conference and professional development courses for IPCWorks 2004, to be held October 24 through 28 at the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

AIT Honored with Supplier of the Year and Customer Service Awards from Exar

(August 11, 2004) Singapore and Fremont, Calif. — Advanced Interconnect Technologies (AIT) has received the "Supplier of the Year" and "Customer Service" awards for 2003 from Exar Corp.

EMI, California State University to Host Telecom Training Programs for Vietnamese Government

(August 11, 2004) Santa Ana and Los Angeles, Calif. — Express Manufacturing Inc. (EMI) announces that it has partnered with California State University, Los Angeles to host an Executive Training Program for the top ranking officials of Vietnam Post and Telecommunication Corp. (VNPT), the government-owned and operated provider of telecommunications, postal and IT services in Vietnam.

Introbotics Awarded Patent, Delivers Second Automated Unit to Merix

(August 11, 2004) Albuquerque — Introbotics Corp. announces that the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has issued the company US Patent Nos. 6,759,853.

SMTA Announces Workshop on Implementing Lead-free

(August 11, 2004) Minneapolis — In a new full-day SMTA workshop, "Implementing Lead-free Assembly at Your Facility," noted process expert, holder of the prestigious SMTA Founder's Award and SMT Editorial Advisory Board Member Ronald C. Lasky, Ph.D., PE, Indium Corp. senior technologist and Dartmouth College visiting professor, will deliver information, experience and knowledge on establishing a lead-free process.

Cobar Signs Torenko & Associates as Representative for Texas, U.S. Southwest

(August 10, 2004) Londonderry, N.H. — Cobar Solder Products has signed Torenko and Associates to represent its line of solder pastes, fluxes and other electronics soldering materials in Texas and the U.S. Southwest.

ECA Monthly Order Index Flattens in July

(August 10, 2004) Arlington, Va. — The monthly order index compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA) flattened in July after climbing for 11 consecutive months.

IPC Lead-free Web Site Launched

(August 10, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries has launched a new Web site for lead-free information and trends.

Wafer-level Processing: Whose Job Is It, Anyway?

(August 10, 2004) Santa Clara, Calif. — One of the hottest topics at SEMICON West in San Jose this year was wafer-level processing. Walking around the show floor, it was hard to find a wire bonder, but wafer bumping equipment and materials were everywhere.

Duraswitch Announces Results for Three and Six Months Ended June 30

(August 9, 2004) Phoenix — Duraswitch announces financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2004.

Orbotech Announces Second Quarter 2004 Results

(August 9, 2004) Yavne, Israel — Orbotech Ltd. announces its consolidated financial results for the second quarter and six months ended June 30, 2004.

SMTA Announces Academy and Certification Programs During NEPCON Texas

(August 9, 2004) Minneapolis — The SMTA Academy Program and SMT Process Certification will be held in Arlington, Texas, October 20 through 21 at the Arlington Convention Center in conjunction with NEPCON Texas.

Valor Computerized Systems Reports Q2 2004 Results

(August 9, 2004) Lake Forest, Calif. and Yavne, Israel — Valor Computerized Systems reports financial results for the six-month period ending June 30, 2004.

ATS Receives Orders of US $10 Million from One of the World's Largest Medical Device Companies

(August 6, 2004) Cambridge, Ontario, Canada — ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. recently received a total of US $10.7 million (CDN $14.2 million) in orders from one of the world's largest manufacturers of self-use medical diagnostic systems.

frog design to Receive Equity Investment from Flextronics

(August 6, 2004) Sunnyvale, Calif. — Global design firm frog design inc. announces that Flextronics intends to make an equity investment in the company.

Indium Publishes Cleaning Solvent Compatibility Table

(August 6, 2004) Utica, N.Y. — Indium Corp. of America has released the results of a series of cleaning solvent compatibility evaluations.

Solectron Announces Remarketing of Debentures Underlying Equity Security Units

(August 6, 2004) Milpitas, Calif. — Solectron Corp. intends to remarket up to $64,269,950 aggregate principal amount of its 7.25 percent subordinated debentures, due 2006.

Fujitsu Ties Global Partnership with Cadence to Create Advanced SoC Design Environments

(August 5, 2004) Tokyo — Fujitsu Ltd. and Cadence Design Systems, Japan have announced a global partnership agreement under which they will create advanced system-on-chip (SoC) design environments.

March Plasma Systems Celebrates 20^th Anniversary

(August 5, 2004) Concord, Calif. — March Plasma Systems announces its 20^th anniversary of providing gas plasma treatment equipment to customers worldwide.

M-Wave Closes $3 Million Private Placement with Mercator Advisory Group

(August 5, 2004) West Chicago, Ill. — M-Wave Inc. has concluded the previously announced sale of 30,000 shares of the company's Series A, convertible preferred stock to Mercator Momentum Fund LP, Mercator Momentum Fund III LP and Monarch Pointe Ltd. through Mercator Advisory Group LLC for aggregate proceeds after estimated expenses of $2.65 million.

Tyco Electronics' Wang to Present at NEPCON Shenzhen

(August 4, 2004) Willow Grove, PA. — Tyco Electronics, a business segment of Tyco International Ltd., announces that David Wang will present a lead-free seminar during NEPCON Shenzhen in Beijing.

Honeywell Appoints Gibson as Director of IT for its Global Materials Business

(August 4, 2004) Sunnyvale, Calif. — Honeywell announces that Theo Gibson has joined its Electronic Materials business as director of information technology.

Indium Announces New Agent in Central New York

(August 4, 2004) Utica, N.Y. — Indium Corp. of America is now represented in the Central New York area by Progressive Technologies, who will service and sell Indium's complete line of assembly products.

Vanguard EMS Announces Full Lead-free Manufacturing Capability

(August 4, 2004) Beaverton, Ore. — Vanguard EMS now offers full lead-free manufacturing capability.

Solectron Announces Strategic Divestitures

(August 3, 2004) Milpitas, Calif. — Solectron Corp. announces a new divestiture, as well as the completion of a previously announced one, both in line with the company's plan to sell certain assets not central to its future strategy.

DEK Announces First VectorGuard Licensee

(August 3, 2004) Flemington, N.J. and Munich, Germany — DEK has licensed its VectorGuard stencil technology to Christian Koenen GmbH, which will provide DEK customers with a second source for VectorGuard stencils and allow Christian Koenen to increase its offering in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Entrada Group Announces Strategic Contract with MC Assembly, Tricon Systems

(August 3, 2004) San Antonio, Texas — MC Assembly and Tricon Industries have contracted with the Entrada Group to provide integrated outsourcing services to assist in the transition, start-up and management of their new operations in Mexico.

RF Micro Devices Ships 1 Billion Power Amplifiers

(August 3, 2004) Greensboro, N.C. — RF Micro Devices Inc. has set an industry record as the first wireless semiconductor company to ship 1 billion power amplifiers (PAs) for cellular phones.

MMC Inc. Launches STRATEGIUS Communications Service

(August 2, 2004) Bristol, R.I. — MMC Inc., an international a dedicated business-to-business public relations, marketing, and media relations agency, announces the launch of STRATEGIUS, a new communications service.

Henkel Future Trends Seminar Draws Standing Room Only Crowd

(August 2, 2004) San Jose, Calif. — On July 13, 2004, at the Marriott Hotel here, experts from the semiconductor packaging market presented a four-hour, in-depth seminar addressing the challenges facing tomorrow's packaging professionals.

Nam Tai Electronics Releases Second Quarter Results

(August 2, 2004) Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada — Nam Tai Electronics Inc. announces its unaudited results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2004.

Prototron Adds New Staff in San Francisco

(August 2, 2004) Redmond, Wash. — Prototron Circuits has hired David Izett as sales engineer.

Pro-mation Awarded Contract from Eoplex Technologies

(July 30, 2004) Kenosha, Wis. and San Francisco, Calif. — Pro-mation Inc. has secured a significant automation contract from EoPlex Technologies.

All Halls to be Booked for electronicAsia 2004 in Hong Kong

(July 30, 2004) Hong Kong — From October 13 to 16, 2004, electronicAsia will be held here.

AVX Announces First Quarter Results

(July 30, 2004) Myrtle Beach, S.C. — AVX Corp. reported that net sales increased $88.3 million to $345 million in the first quarter ended June 30, 2004, compared to the same quarter last year.

Mentor Graphics Announces Second Quarter Results

(July 30, 2004) Wilsonville, Ore. — Mentor Graphics Corp. announces second quarter pro forma diluted earnings per share of 14 cents, up 17 percent year-over-year, on revenue of $169.6 million.

IPC Releases New Book-to-Bill Ratios and IMS/PCB Business Report for June 2004

(July 29, 2004) Northbrook, Ill. — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries announced today the findings from its monthly Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.

SMTA Hutchins Grant Award Recipient for 2004 Announced

(July 29, 2004) Minneapolis — Brian McAdams from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa. has been selected by the SMTA Grant Committee to receive the 2004 Charles Hutchins Educational Grant for his project entitled "Sub-critical Initiation of Delaminations at the Underfill/Passivation Interface in Flip-chip Assemblies".

Tecnomatix Announces Second Quarter 2004 Results

(July 29, 2004) Herzlia, Israel — Tecnomatix Technologies Ltd. announces its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2004.

FlexLink Launches '30/30' Challenge

(July 29, 2004) Allentown, Pa. — FlexLink Systems has issued a challenge to manufacturers: "Give us 30 minutes of your time and we'll show you how we can increase your efficiency by 30 percent or more."

Arrow Electronics Completes Acquisition of Disway AG

(July 28, 2004) Melville, N.Y. — Arrow Electronics Inc. has completed its previously announced acquisition of Disway AG, a leading distributor of electronic components in Italy, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Worldwide Handheld Devices Market Sees Slight Quarterly Growth, Slight Year-Over-Year Decline, Says IDC

(July 28, 2004) Framingham, Mass. — The worldwide market for handheld devices experienced a slight sequential gain in the second quarter of 2004, but despite strong shipments from top five vendors palmOne and Medion, was unable to post a year-over-year increase, according to IDC's Worldwide Handheld Qview.

Sanmina-SCI Announces Third Quarter Results

(July 28, 2004) San Jose, Calif. — Sanmina-SCI Corp. has reported financial results for its third quarter ended June 26, 2004.

SMT Resource Updates Web Site

(July 28, 2004) Wake Forest, N.C. — SMT Resource Group LLC (SMTR) has updated its Web site.

Raetsen Joins Cobar Europe as Customer Support Manager

(July 27, 2004) Breda, Holland — Cobar Europe announces that Han Raetsen has joined Cobar Europe as a customer support manager.

IMAPS Appoints O'Donaghue Executive Director

(July 27, 2004) Washington, D.C. — IMAPS announces that Michael O'Donoghue has been chosen and has accepted the position of executive director, replacing Richard M. Breck as of September 1, 2004.

With Deadline Two Years Away, Soldertec Global Offers Lead-free Services

(July 27, 2004) UK — Soldertec Global has established regional guidance recommending timescales for European components manufacturers and electronic assemblers to develop products that will comply with imminent European legislation.

BP Microsystems Hires New Distributor in China

(July 27, 2004) Houston — BP Microsystems has appointed Beijing Yake Electronics Co. as the new distributor for North and Northwest China.

Siemens Announces New CEO, Corporate Structure

(July 26, 2004) Frankfurt, Germany — Siemens AG, Germany's largest technology company, announces major changes to its management and corporate structure.