Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - Features

KENOSHA, WI — Promation, a company specializing in PCB handling equipment, selective robotic soldering, laser mark and technical workstations, has secured a sales relationship with Kintner Equipment Corp. (Endicott, NY) to serve customers in upstate New York and western Pennsylvania.

Gary Goldberg, president of Promation, said, “Kintner Equipment is a premiere capital equipment sales organization with many years of experience in both SMT and back-end manufacturing operations. Promation is delighted to have secured this business relationship.”

SAN JOSE -- Research firm Semico yesterday forecasted semiconductors would see an 18% jump in revenues next year, pushing out the start of the next downcycle to the second half of 2008.

The firm also called for stronger second half sales this year, due to traditional and emerging markets.

MIDLAND, MI -- Dow Corning's Photonics Solutions business development program will be merged into its Electronics business and the company will increase sales, marketing, and product development activities to support creation of "light-management" applications for a vast range of markets, including automotive, displays, and telecommunications.

The new Light Management group will focus on helping customers develop and commercialize applications that rely on the emission, transmission, amplification, detection, modulation, and switching of light.

BRUSSELS -- Technical experts from EU member states this week reviewed a draft environment assessment of the brominated flame retardant TBBPA.

The assessment is being carried out by the UK on behalf of the EU under the EU Existing Substances Regulation.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- Market revenue for wireline VOIP equipment is expected to more than triple between 2004 and 2010 due to an explosion in the number of residential VoIP users during the next few years.

That's according to research firm iSuppli Corp., which forecasts the number of residential VoIP subscribers worldwide to rise to 197.2 million in 2010, from 4.8 million in 2004.

Worldwide VoIP equipment revenue will reach $24.5 billion in 2010, up more than 300% from $8.04 billion last year. This year, VoIP equipment revenue is expected to be $12.9 billion.

Residential is be the fastest-growing segment for equipment, iSuppli said. The firm forecasts revenue to rise to $10.6 billion in 2010, from $1.4 billion in 2004.

Japan and U.S./Canada account for 83% of the total residential wireline VoIP subscribers.

SANTA CLARA, CA -- Intel Corp. today announced plans to invest $345 million in capacity expansions at two of the company's wafer manufacturing sites in Colorado and Massachusetts. The investment will create several hundred jobs, the chipmaker said.