BANNOCKBURN, IL – The electronics manufacturing services market is projected to grow 14.8% globally and 10.2% in North America this year, according to a new IPC study.

BILLINGSTAD, NORWAY – Electronics manufacturing services firm Kitron reported third-quarter 2011 revenue of NOK 352.7 million, up a slight 0.2% year-over-year.

Earnings before interest and tax were NOK 9.2 million, down 17.8% compared to the same period last year.

Net income for the quarter was NOK 5.6 million, up 11.4% year-over-year.

New orders accounted for NOK 391.6 million, and the backlog was NOK 820.8 million, up 17.2% and down 3.2% respectively.

The company opened a factory in China in September. Production has begun, and strong growth is expected during the next 12 to 18 months.

US$1 = NOK 5.4141

VELLINGE, SWEDEN – Contract manufacturer PartnerTech reported third-quarter 2011 net sales of SEK 535.6 million, up 11.1% year-over-year.

The company reported a loss after tax of SEK 5 million, compared to a loss of SEK 28.4 million in last year’s third quarter.

Operating profit was SEK 10 million, compared to a loss of SEK 5.3 million in the same period of 2010.

For the first nine months of the year, net sales were SEK 1.7 billion, up 7.7% compared to the year-ago period. Operating profit was SEK 18.1 million, compared to a loss of SEK 21.8 million last year.

“This was our fourth successive quarter with a positive operating margin. Third-quarter sales of SEK 535.6 million reflected improvement in every market area, with the exception of Point of Sale Applications and MedTech and Instrumentation,” said Leif Thorwaldsson, president and CEO.

“We opened a unit in Cambridge, which now comprises all of our British operations, including production and a customer center in the city’s technology cluster. The initiative represented an additional step in upgrading our customer center and completing the consolidation process in the UK.

“Conditions in the contract manufacturing market are generally favorable at the moment, and the third quarter offered no indications of a slowdown. Nevertheless, financial uncertainty in global markets makes it difficult to project future trends.”

US$1 = SEK 6.3551

OTTAWA – Contract electronics manufacturer OCM Manufacturing appointed George Henning president.

Henning was formerly vice president of manufacturing.

Dr. Michel Jullian, former president, CEO and founder of OCM, will become chairman of the board of advisors.

OCM Manufacturing recently completed an expansion of its Ottawa facility, doubling capacity. The company also launched a dedicated prototyping service.

DANDERYD, SWEDEN – Electronics manufacturing services provider Note posted third-quarter sales of SEK 272.5 million, up 0.22% year-over-year.

Operating profit was SEK13.5 million, compared to a loss of SEK 4.1 million in last year’s third quarter. The same period in 2010 included structural and other non-recurring costs of approximately SEK 3 million.

For the first nine months of 2011, sales increased 8% to SEK 911.2 million. Operating profit was SEK 49.3 million, compared to a loss of SEK 60.4 million in 2010.

During the third quarter of 2011, the firm’s board agreed to sell Note Tauragé UAB, Lithuania. Manufacturing ceased at that location at the end of 2010.

US$1 = SEK 6.3551

SUZHOU -- OnCore Manufacturing Services continued its acquisition spree, picking up Alta Electronics for an undisclosed price.

WASHINGTON – The US Federal Court sentenced VisionTech Components administrator Stephanie McCloskey to more than three years imprisonment and $166,000 in fines for selling counterfeit ICs to American companies and military.

MINNEAPOLIS – CyberOptics reported third-quarter consolidated sales of $17.1 million, up 21% year-over-year, driven by record sales of inspection systems.

Net income was $1.6 million, up 65% compared to the year-ago period.

Operating income increased 76% to $2.1 million compared to the same period in 2010.

Cash and marketable securities totaled $26.6 million at the end of the quarter, up $2.7 million sequentially.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American rigid and flex printed circuit board shipments combined in September decreased 12% year-over-year. Orders dropped 18.4% from September 2010, says IPC.

Year to date, shipments were down 0.2%, and orders fell 9.6%. Sequentially, PCB shipments for September increased 4.9%, and orders decreased 7.3%. 

The book-to-bill ratio fell to 0.99. A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

Rigid board shipments were down 13.1%, while orders dropped 19.9% compared to the same month last year. The rigid book-to-bill dipped just below parity at 0.99.

Year to date, rigid PCB shipments decreased 0.4%, and orders declined 10.8%. Sequentially, rigid board shipments increased 3.5%, and orders decreased 8.9%.

Flex circuit board shipments for the month were down 0.7%, and orders declined 1.8% compared to September 2010. The flex book-to-bill fell to 0.97.         

Year to date, flex board shipments increased 1.6%, and orders were up 3%. Sequentially, shipments increased 20.1%, and orders were up 9.9%.

“Sales and orders were both under last year’s levels in September,” said IPC. “Bookings have been especially sluggish, and that has caused a drop in the book-to-bill ratio; although it is still very near parity, which suggests that flat sales are the likely near-term scenario.”

Rigid circuit boards represent an estimated 89% of the current industry in North America. In September, 85% of total shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 85% of rigid and 83% of flex shipments.

BANNOCKBURN, IL — A just-released Tulane University study found costs of implementing the US Conflict Minerals regulations to be $7.93 billion, more than 100 times greater than an earlier estimate prepared by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Tulane findings, available at http://tinyurl.com/3bl8ntg, elicited a sharp rebuke from IPC, from which the data were partly mined.

“The Tulane study underscores the need for the SEC to be conscious of the high costs of implementation,” said IPC. “The SEC must utilize all reasonable options to lessen the burden of implementation, the most important of which is a phasing-in of the regulations to allow industry the time to work with their complex global supply chains to develop traceability and compliance data.”

The Tulane study supports the need to establish, for a transition period, a category for conflict minerals whose origin cannot be determined. The regulations proposed by the SEC require that conflict minerals be identified as either conflict-free or as associated with conflict.

The original IPC survey collected data from 60 electronics manufacturing services companies, printed circuit board manufacturers, electronics materials suppliers and equipment suppliers.

GLENVIEW, IL – Illinois Tool Works today reported third-quarter revenues of $4.6 billion, up 16.2% year-over-year.

PHATHUMTANI, THAILAND – Electronics manufacturing services firm SVI Public Co. reported today that its manufacturing operations in the Bangkadi Industrial Park will remain offline due to greater-than-anticipated water damage.