BANNOCKBURN, IL – Effective today, Raymond Foo has joined the IPC staff as the Southeast Asia representative, working from Bangkok.

CHARLOTTE, NC – Camstar Systems has launched a global manufacturing workshop and plant tour series to demonstrate productivity through MES tools.

LOS ALTOS, CA -- Global electronics hardware output will rise a tepid 0.3% this year, but will improve through 2016, an industry analyst forecasts.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- A year after the Thailand flooding disaster partially derailed production, the global hard disk drive industry has fully recovered, with shipments to the computer market expected to hit a record level this year, driven by the enterprise market as well as the arrival of the Windows 8 operating system.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit board shipments and orders in August were both flat compared to August 2011, says IPC.

BILLINGSTAD, NORWAY -- Kitron has received more than $12 million in orders from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace for military communications equipment.

HONG KONG -- Surface Mount Technology (Holdings) Ltd. has sold its surface mount equipment in Guangdong for HK$16.3 million ($2.1 million) via a tender offer.

NEW YORK – Due to uncertain macroeconomic conditions in Europe and China, importers and manufacturers who sell to America’s retailers continue to be concerned with the economic resources of manufacturers, according to Capital Business Credit.

BANNOCKBURN, IL —  IPC announced a call for papers for its inaugural Electronic System Technologies Conference next spring in Las Vegas.

GUANGZHOU, CHINA -- 3CEMS has expanded its Danriver System liquid crystal module manufacturing facility to keep pace with rising demand for tablet PCs.

SANTA CLARA, CA – Exhibits at the annual PCB West trade show in the Silicon Valley open today, featuring a sold out show floor.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Top tier EMS Jabil Circuit today announced fiscal fourth-quarter net income plunged 27.6% on weaker demand and slow product ramps.