MINNEAPOLIS – CyberOptics Corp. today reported first-quarter net income of $846,000, up 243% year-over-year.

Consolidated sales were $13.4 million, up 8% compared to the same quarter of 2010, at the upper end of the previously reported guidance.

Order backlogs increased 48% sequentially to $10.6 million. The majority is scheduled to ship in the second and third quarters.

During the quarter, the maker of AOI and SPI systems for electronics assembly inspection benefited from a 19% year-over-year increase in sensors, including solar wafer alignment cameras. (CyberOptics sells sensors to a range of OEMs, including Juki, Viscom and DEK.) Sales of semiconductor products rose 60%.

“The shift in our sales mix toward newer sensor and system products had a highly favorable impact on our gross margin, which rose to 49% from 43% in last year’s first quarter,” said CEO Kathleen P. Iverson.

For the second quarter of 2011, the firm forecasts sales of $16 million to $17 million. Full-year sales are expected to be $60 million to $65 million.

SAN JOSE – Sanmina-SCI Corp. today reported second-quarter fiscal 2011 net income of $13 million, up 30% year-over-year.

MINNEAPOLIS – HEI reported first-quarter sales of $9.7 million, up 2.1% year-over-year.
 
The company generated net income of $186,000 for the period, compared to net income of $293,000 for the same quarter of 2010. 

HEI designs, develops and manufactures ultra-miniature microelectronics, substrates, systems, connectivity and software solutions for the medical, hearing, telecommunications, military, aerospace, and industrial markets. 

LAS VEGAS – IPC said attendance for Apex Expo 2011 was up 8% over last year with 7,208 total participants.

The number of attendees at the educational programs and exhibition grew an additional 5% over 2010, to 3,887, says IPC. Twenty percent more of these attendees participated in the technical conference and/or professional development courses.

The US show saw a sizable increase in international attendance, representing 52 countries and nearly 20% of all attendees.

Exhibitors numbered 366, up 10% over 2010.

Next year, IPC Apex Expo will take place in San Diego, Feb. 28 to Mar. 1.

DOWNERS GROVE, IL – Dover Corp. said first-quarter revenue was $2 billion, up 24% over the prior-year period.

Net earnings were $194.9 million, up 80.3% compared to the same period of 2010.

Earnings from continuing operations were $183.3 million, up 51% year-over-year.

“Revenue, earnings, bookings and backlog were all up significantly over the prior year. Revenue growth of 24% was above our expectations and largely driven by improving end-markets served by Industrial Products and a very strong energy market. We closed four acquisitions during the quarter, the largest being Harbison-Fischer, and our companies continued to record solid order rates through the first quarter, resulting in a strong book-to-bill of 1.15,” said president and CEO Robert A. Livingston.

The firm expects full-year 2011 revenue growth of 12% to 14%.

Dover provides components, equipment, specialty systems and support services for applications in the industrial products, engineered systems, fluid management and electronic technologies markets.

SAN JOSE – March orders at North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers rose 21.6% over last year to $1.62 billion, SEMI said.

TORONTO -- Celestica will add 400 workers to its local workforce to meet higher demand, the company said yesterday.

SHANGHAI – Jabil Defense and Aerospace Services today said it intends to offer aerospace customers manufacturing services here in 2011.

The facilities will offer aerospace electronic design and secure manufacturing services, rapid prototyping, compressed timelines for design-to-market production, and customer-focused work cells.

AS 9100 and NADCAP certifications are expected before the end of 2011.

NEENAH, WI – Contract manufacturer Plexus Corp. reported record fiscal second-quarter revenue of $568 million, up 15.7% compared to the same period in 2010.

TORONTO – Celestica reported first-quarter revenue of $1.8 billion, up 18.4% year-over-year, within company guidance.

TORONTO – Celestica said it has agreed to acquire the semiconductor equipment contract manufacturing operations of Brooks Automation for approximately $80 million.

Brooks Automation specializes in manufacturing mechanical equipment and providing systems integration services for semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Capabilities include the production of equipment frontend modules for wafer handling and transportation, vacuum transfer modules and sub-systems for semiconductor capital equipment OEMs.

The business generated revenue of approximately $135 million for the six months ended Mar. 31, and currently employs approximately 450 people.

The purchase will be financed from either Celestica’s credit facility or from cash on hand. The closing date is anticipated to be in the second quarter. The operations' senior management team and employees will join Celestica upon completion of the agreement.

No other financial terms of the agreement were disclosed.

ANSEONG, SOUTH KOREA – MIRTEC plans to break ground on a 100,000 sq. ft. manufacturing space here in June. The facility will be completed in October or November of this year, MIRTEC North America president Brian D’Amico told CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY last week. The firm currently rents a building at the site.

Last year, the inspection systems firm pulled in $49 million in revenue, up from $25 million in 2009. Employees now number 230, with 110 hired in the past year. R&D personnel currently stand at 70 to address new markets.

MIRTEC currently has does 43% of its business in Asia, a high-speed, low-mix market, says D’Amico. The US is the company’s other main market, with a high-mix, low-volume focus. “We can address both, which is why we’ve grown,” he says.

In the first quarter of 2011, the US market grew 55%. In the first quarter of 2012, the company expects to roll out a 2-D/3-D inspection product with a 15 megapixel camera with moiré technology, which will include four multi-frequency probes.