WASHINGTON, DC — Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached their highest point of the year in November, giving reason for optimism that the market might be turning around.

DONCASTER, SOUTH YORKSHIRE, UK -- SMT equipment distributor SMT Xtra has purchased the assets of Elcoteq's former plant in Pécs, Hungary for about $10 million.

ROUND ROCK, TX -- Electronic Component Manufacturing has closed and will be auctioned, CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY has learned.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The US House of Representatives has approved a bill calling for severe penalties on those that pass US companies' trade secrets to foreign governments.

WARRENDALE, PA -- AS5553A, a new standard for counterfeit electronics parts avoidance and detection, is in the final phases of review by the SAE Aerospace Council and should be released in January, the SAE G19 Committee said.

PALO ALTO, CA -- Hewlett-Packard's commitment to its struggling PC business is drawing new attention thanks to its latest SEC filing that indicates certain units might be on the block.

ATLANTA -- Happy New Year to all our readers!

HERNDON, VA -- A new International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative white paper sets forth ways to "simplify and align" the reams of environmental data mandated by various governments and the electronics supply chain.

CUPERTINO, CA -- The US Patent Technology Office has issued Apple a patent covering a systems and methods for providing a system-on-a-substrate.

PHOENIX, AZ -- Suntron has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Methuen, MA-based Embedded Computing Solutions business unit to Axiomtek USA, the North American subsidiary of Taiwan-based Axiomtek.

OYSTER BAY, NY -- Small cell equipment, including units designated for public venues like shopping malls, are expected to grow 67% compounded annually to $3.1 billion in 2018, new research indicates.

HERNDON, VA -- A new iNEMI white paper profiles studies by two electronics industry consortia that are helping industry move toward halogen-free electronics.