Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

BEIJING – China's IC output numbered 19.74 billion for the first half of the year, up 15.2% year-over-year, according to China's CCID Consulting.

Sales revenues totaled $8 billion, up 33.2% year-over-year, CCID says. However, this represents a fallback from the 48% growth in the first half of last year.

''China's IC industry will … enter a relatively stable development cycle,'' according to the firm. CCID says growth will drop to around 30% for the year, while sales revenues are expected to remain around $17.3 billion.

By the end of the year, China 's IC revenue is expected to account for more than 8% of the global industry, according to the firm.

SEOUL – A power outage at Samsung Electronics's manufacturing plant near Seoul forced a shutdown of several production lines; this could result in a slight decline in the supply of memory, published reports say.

The company said its Kiheung complex lost power after a malfunction at a transformer substation. A Samsung spokesperson said six of the 11 lines were shut down.

Samsung reported the factory would be back up to production within two days, but didn’t state the impact of lost time.

Samsung has 44% of the market share of memory chips, says iSuppli. The plant makes DRAM and NAND flash chips, used in portable devices.

Samsung estimates a loss of 15% for the third quarter; this could mean an 8% to 10% decline in memory for the overall market, triggering price increases, Samsung believes.

MUMBAI, INDIA – Haier’s India announced the acquisition of electronics manufacturer Daewoo Anchor Electronics.

India’s Daewoo Anchor, with 40 acres in Ranjangaon, Pune, will give Haier, the $13 billion Chinese manufacturer, access to manufacturing capability of TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines. Haier plans to upgrade the facility and create an R & D facility for its refrigerator range.

The capacity of the facility is estimated at 35,000 units. Haier will begin operating in two shifts. The facility is expected to house more than 500 workers at the onset.

Shi Zhiyuan, managing director, Haier Appliances (India), said, “Haier’s target is to become one of the prominent players in the Indian market in a few years.”

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Component manufacturer Kemet Corp. announced its acquisition of Arcotronics Italia S.p.A, agreeing to pay $24 million.

ATLANTA – UP Media Group Inc., parent company of Circuits Assembly, announced Joseph Fjelstad, founder and president of Verdant Enterprises, will deliver the keynote address at PCB Design Conference East 2007 in Durham, NC, on Oct. 23, at 11 a.m. in the Durham Marriott at the Civic Center.

Fjelstad’s keynote, titled "Robust Environmentally Friendly Electronics Assembly," will reveal a new electronics assembly process said to use no solder – eliminating many of the risks and reliability exposures associated with lead-free solders – and no conventional circuit boards.

The Reverse Interconnection Process embodies a new sequence of core processing technologies, and is achieved through direct copper-copper plate-up onto an inverted cast-in-place component-array platform. The process has demonstrated the conceptual potential for the manufacture of high-density, high-performance, high-reliability and environmentally (i.e., RoHS) compliant solutions for products ranging from consumer to mil-aero applications.

Founder and president of Verdant Electronics, Fjelstad has more than 35 years of experience in electronics interconnection and packaging in a variety of capacities, from chemist to process engineer and from international consultant to CEO.

The keynote is free to attend; however, registration and a badge are required for admission. To register online or find out more about the Oct. 21-26 show, visit www.pcbeast.com.

UPMG's 2008 conferences include PCB East 2008 on May 11-16 at the Holiday Inn Select & Convention Center in Tinley Park, IL, and PCB West 2008 on September 14-19 at the Marriott Santa Clara in Santa Clara, CA.

RICHARDSON, TX – TXP Corp., ODM for the telecommunications industry, announced revenue of $3.3 million in the second quarter, an increase of 70% year-over-year.

Operating loss was approximately $1.1 million, an increase of about 39% year-over-year.

The increase in operating loss primarily reflects the hiring of Siemens' former ONT development team, the company reports.

The company says it increased its customer base from 89 to 117 during the quarter.