OSAKA, JAPAN — December 2025 — Nihon Superior Co. Ltd., an advanced joining material supplier, sadly announces the loss of Keith Howell, a highly respected industry professional and longtime company team member, who passed away peacefully at his home in Osage Beach, Missouri on December 1, following a courageous 15-month battle with cancer. He was 68.

Born on June 7, 1957, in East St. Louis, Illinois, Keith built a career distinguished by technical credibility, integrity, and a commitment to long-term industry partnerships. Over decades in electronics manufacturing, he became known as a trusted advisor to OEMs, EMS providers, and engineering teams seeking reliable, high-performance materials for demanding applications.

Keith spent almost 20 years with Nihon Superior Co., Ltd. During his time at the company, he worked closely with customers across North America, supporting manufacturing teams in aerospace, defense, automotive, industrial, and other mission-critical electronics markets.

Respected for both his technical knowledge and his consultative approach, Keith helped manufacturers navigate increasingly complex assembly challenges, from reliability requirements and process optimization to material selection for next-generation electronics. He was widely recognized for his ability to translate technical performance into practical manufacturing value, while building relationships based on trust, transparency, and mutual respect.

“Keith was the kind of person who customers relied on not just for products, but for insight,” said Tetsuro Nishimura, President. “He listened first, understood the problem, and then worked collaboratively to find the right solution.”

Beyond his direct contributions, Keith exemplified the values that strengthen industry supplier-customer relationships: consistency, honesty, accountability, and a long-term view of success. His work ethic left a lasting impression on the companies and customers he served.

Outside of his professional life, Keith was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He shared 44 years of marriage with his wife, Cindy Howell, and was deeply proud of his children, Julie (and her husband Kyle Sellers) and Erik Howell, as well as his granddaughters, Mary and Holly Sellers.
Keith is also survived by his parents and siblings.

A visitation and celebration of life were held on December 6, at The Sanctuary Brewery in Osage Beach, where family, friends, and industry colleagues gathered to honor his life and legacy.

In keeping with Keith’s commitment to service and community, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in his name to Habitat for Humanity, reflecting his belief in building strong foundations, both in manufacturing and in life.

Keith’s legacy within the electronics manufacturing industry is defined by the professionalism, integrity, and humanity he brought to every relationship. He will be deeply missed by colleagues across the industry who valued his counsel, friendship, and good example.

RICHMOND, VA - December 12, 2025 – Mobius Materials, the safe spot market for semiconductors, has closed a $3M Series Seed financing round in order to bring liquidity, quality control and price transparency to the secondary semiconductor market. Mobius’ Series Seed round was led by Spero Ventures, an early stage VC fund focused on purpose led companies. Additional investors include Outsiders Fund and RefashionD Ventures. The funds raised will make a significant investment in the platform which connects buyers and sellers, build out the Mobius leadership team and ultimately position the company for fast track growth to reach new customers and global markets.

Mobius is solving a $25B problem that is only getting worse as tariffs and geopolitics make semiconductors one of the most volatile industries in the world. Despite more than $600B of chips sold annually, there is nowhere for manufacturers to trade chips besides rigid direct, distributor purchasing or a massive gray market. As forecasts change or tariff volatility hits, manufacturers are either left with large stocks of excess chips or shortages of critical ones. Mobius is used by hundreds of contract manufacturers and OEMs to directly buy and sell excess electronic parts quickly, safely and at market prices.

For Mobius’ Founder and CEO, Margaret Upshur, the mission is not just economic, it’s environmental. A former supply chain executive at an electronics OEM, Upshur was dismayed to have to throw away hundreds of thousands of dollars of new chips that were no longer used in their products, all of which could have been sold.

‍“We’re building the first stock market for semiconductors so companies can finally buy and sell components the way they should: transparently, safely, and at true market prices,” says Upshur. “This raise and our partnership with Spero will help us scale our marketplace so supply-chain teams can achieve real liquidity in an industry that’s been stuck with rigid purchasing, constant supply shocks and quality risks.”

‍Mobius will use the new funding to accelerate development of its platform, including the upcoming launch of its e-auction platform, which allows manufacturers to reach thousands of qualified buyers, improve returns, often by up to three times traditional broker rates-and close transactions in weeks instead of months. The raise will also support continued team expansion, following recent leadership hires in engineering and customer experience, with a search underway for a Head of Operations. In addition, Mobius has filed a patent for its machine-learning–based system for authenticating the quality of electronic components.

“Chips power nearly every device we rely on, yet the secondary market remains opaque and inefficient. Mobius is building a trusted marketplace that delivers transparency, liquidity, and quality control,” said Shripriya Mahesh of Spero Ventures. “We’re proud to support Margaret and her team as they create a more resilient and sustainable future for global manufacturing.”

A robust secondary market has never been more important for the $630B semiconductor industry. Geopolitical tensions, a brittle and very long supply chain, and a robust gray market have combined to mean that the semiconductor industry is one of the most volatile in the world. Meanwhile it is incredibly crucial, not just for consumer electronics and national defense but for every sector imaginable. Chips make up 40% of the cost of a car, 66% of the cost of consumer electronics and 65% of the cost of AI development. Allowing quick, safe and floating price buys on a spot market dampens the extreme shocks of the industry and allows manufacturers to keep producing even when chips hit shortages or gluts.

As tariffs continue to rage, Mobius also helps to strategically connect buyers with sellers and reduce the impact of the tariffs. Sellers who already have imported their chips before the trade tariffs have been imposed can sell to buyers pinched by the new costs of import for example. Upshur and her team anticipate that there will continue to be changes in tariffs internationally and are ready to respond, creating a flexible source for their customers.

Kitron has received a contract with an estimated value of EUR 17 million for the production and supply of advanced electronic components used in combat vehicle systems.

Deliveries under the contract are scheduled to start in the second half of 2026, and production will take place at a European Kitron facility.

“We are proud to strengthen our role as a trusted manufacturing partner in the rapidly evolving scale-up of European defence capabilities,” says Hans Petter Thomassen, Kitron Vice President Nordics and North America region.

The contract further expands Kitron’s growing portfolio within the Defence and Aerospace market sector and solidifies the company’s position as a leading supplier to land system platforms.

Kitron is a leading Scandinavian electronics manufacturing services company for the Connectivity, Electrification, Industry, Medical devices and Defence/Aerospace sectors. The group has operations located in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Lithuania, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, India, Malaysia, China and the United States. Kitron has about 3 000 employees, and revenues were EUR 647 million in 2024.

kitron.com

Altus Group, a leading distributor of electronics manufacturing equipment in the UK and Ireland, has reported a rise in enquiries from manufacturers looking for guidance on specifying convection reflow ovens for SMT production lines. One of the most common early considerations is how many heating zones are required, a decision that can influence throughput, footprint and long-term process capability.

As manufacturers compare available systems, Altus highlights that zone count alone does not provide a full picture of reflow performance. Differences in mechanical build between oven suppliers mean that systems with identical zone numbers can behave very differently in production. Heated length and cooling length therefore offer a more reliable indication of the usable thermal process window and achievable conveyor speed.

In the Heller platforms supported by Altus, configurations range from compact systems with heated lengths of around 1.3 m in five zones and 0.4 m of cooling, through to larger platforms offering 4.49 m of heated length across 13 zones with 1.66 m of cooling. Seven, eight and nine-zone models, including the Heller 1707, 1826 and 1809, remain popular choices due to their balance of footprint, performance and investment level.

Joe Booth, CEO of Altus Group said: “Reflow ovens can remain in service for two decades or more, so getting the specification right at the outset has long-term impact. Decisions around heated length, cooling capability and the operating window of the oven need to be made with a clear view of both current assemblies and those likely to be introduced later. Our focus is on helping manufacturers make well-informed decisions early in the project, so their investment supports production for many years.”

Throughput expectations continue to be a major factor in oven selection. As broad guidance, a seven-zone system may support takt times in the region of 45–60 seconds, while eight- and nine-zone systems typically achieve 30–45 seconds. In certain applications, optimised nine-zone ovens can operate below 30 seconds. Altus advises that these figures depend heavily on product design and must be validated through structured profiling.

To support this, the company recommends profiling representative assemblies using an external profiler such as Solderstar. Running these boards across different oven lengths and zone configurations helps establish where performance limits lie. Tools such as Solderstar’s Auto Seeker can also assist in assessing conveyor-speed headroom while maintaining the required thermal profile.

Altus has additionally seen increased interest in dual-lane reflow systems, particularly for manufacturers aiming to boost capacity without expanding their footprint. A dual-lane configuration can provide double the reflow capacity with the right board-size balance, and with appropriate upstream and downstream shuttles, can be integrated into production lines originally configured for single-lane operation.

www.altusgroup.co.ukwww.altusgroup.co.uk