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FRAMINGHAM, MA – The worldwide enterprise storage system semiconductor market will grow to $1.3 billion by 2012, a CAGR of 6%, says IDC.

The semiconductor demands of the storage system market are compelling OEMs to move quickly to grab as much of the market as they can, or face being shut out by enterprise customers, according to the research firm.

However, the storage systems market opportunity for semiconductors will fluctuate throughout the forecast period, as a result of pricing pressures coupled with technological changes. IDC believes the emergence of iSCSI and fibre channel-over-Ethernet products, as well as the growing need for SAS expanders/multiplexers and storage services processors, will be growth drivers.

To capture a significant share of the storage system semiconductor market, semiconductor vendors should carefully watch the market dynamics among the following technologies: 10GE/iSCSI from a SAN perspective, FcoE, and SAS, says IDC.

DUSSELDORF, GERMANY – In the second quarter, Henkel increased sales 11.4% to 3.67 billion euros. This rise is partially a result of the first-time consolidation of the newly acquired National Starch businesses, says the firm.

Restructuring charges of 256 million euros impacted operating profit. This corresponds to about one-third of restructuring charges previously announced for the full year, with the total expected to be about 770 to 780 million euros. The charges relate primarily to a global program for efficiency enhancement and the integration of the National Starch businesses.

Growth in the Adhesive Technologies business sector was 7.9%. Nominal sales rose 26.1% to 1.82 billion euros, due primarily to the acquisition of the Adhesives and Electronic Materials businesses of National Starch.

Operating profit increased 21.1% to 195 million euros for the quarter.

“We achieved highly encouraging second quarter organic sales growth, despite a difficult economic environment still characterized by significantly increasing raw material costs and a weak US dollar,” said Henkel CEO Kasper Rorsted. “Our organic growth was supported by all our business sectors. The improvements were primarily from our growth regions, while development in Western Europe was restrained. We were able to further increase adjusted operating profit.”

For full-year 2008, Henkel expects to achieve sales growth of 3% to 5%.

1 euro = US $1.50

TAIPEI – Component maker Delta Electronics Inc. reported July consolidated revenues totaled $430.3 million, up 21% year-over-year, and up 11% sequentially.

The firm’s consolidated revenues from January to July were $2.66 billion, up 19% compared to the same period last year.

The Components Business Group currently constitutes 16% of the company’s total revenues, says the firm.

TAIPEI – United Microelectronics Corp., the world's second-largest contract chipmaker, said its July sales of $273.12 million fell 15% year-over-year. Compared to June, sales were up about 5%.

The firm cites the global economic slowdown as the reason for it’s year-over-year drop in revenues.

SINGAPORE – Contract electronics firm Venture Corp. posted a 17% fall in quarterly earnings, as a result of a stronger Singapore dollar and the delay of customers’ orders, the firm reported.

TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Hon Hai plans to invest at least $3.26 billion in Taiwan, the firm reported.

BOONTON, NJ – Total worldwide sales revenue for telecommunication gateways and session border controllers is expected to increase at a compounded rate of nearly 13% during the next five years, says Insight Research.

This specialized equipment enables traditional phone networks to interconnect with next-generation network services that make extensive use of the Internet. During 2008, nearly $2 billion worth of gateway technology will be sold in global markets. By 2013, sales of new gateway gear will increase to $3.5 billion annually, says the firm.

While global gateway sales will increase to nearly 13% during the forecast period, hybrid-fiber coax gateways, SIP gateways, and session border controllers will buck trends and are expected to exhibit sales revenue growth rates in excess of 30%, says Insight.

"The next-generation network, which will make extensive use of IP and web services is still years away from generating serious revenue, and in the meantime carriers are not about to fork lift out the infrastructure that makes them money today," said Robert Rosenberg, Insight’s president.

"Gateways form the link between today's revenue-generating services and what the carriers will be building to generate their future revenue streams, so we expect the telecommunications gateway market to continue growing for at least the next five years," Rosenberg added.

JASPER, IN – EMS provider Kimball International Inc. reported net sales of $338.2 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2008, flat with the same period last year.

Gross profit was $57.9 million, down 16.1% year-over-year. The firm reported a net loss from continuing operations of $9.8 million.

YAVNE, ISRAEL – AOI equipment maker, Orbotech Ltd., has fired dozens of employees from its workforce of 800 in Israel, according to Global Online.

The firm’s LCD testing system division reportedly has been affected most because of canceled new projects.

According to the Israeli publication Global Online, the firm also will shut down its third-largest business: the IC division. The division reportedly will merge with the company’s largest division: printed circuits.

Orbotech employees 1,600 worldwide.

SAN JOSE – Tessera Technologies Inc., provider of miniaturization technologies, said Bruce McWilliams, its chairman, president and chief executive officer, has stepped down.

NUREMBERG and ARLINGTON, VA – Consumer electronics revenues in China are forecast to reach $100 billion by 2009, surpassing Western Europe and North America between 2009 and 2010, say market researcher GfK and the Consumer Electronics Association.

LONDON — The Cookson Group's first-half profits rose 30% to $225 million on a 26% jump in revenues to $2.1 billion.

The electronics group reported profits of $60 million, up 2%, year-over-year on an 11% hike in sales to $640 million. However, the higher revenue was driven by extreme price inflation for tin and silver used in solder. Excluding the inflation impact and sales of precious metals related products in the chemistry product line, underlying revenue fell 1% from last year.

All figures are based on constant exchange rates.

Cookson attributed the drop in revenue to a slowdown in electronics equipment production, particularly in the US, and a decision to focus on higher margin, more value-added product lines.

The company benefited from a new factory in Monterrey, Mexico, and demand for its scrap solder recycling operation in the US. A second recycling plant, in Guangxi Province, China, is expected to come online later this year. Cookson is also moving its European solder paste production from Ashford, England, to Hungary; the transfer should be complete by early next year and will save the company about $2 million annually.