AYUDHAYA, THAILAND -- Benchmark Electronics has restarted operations here a week ahead of its planned schedule.

ARMONK, NY – IBM unveiled the sixth annual “IBM 5 in 5" – a list of innovations that have the potential to change the way people work, live and interact during the next five years, based on market and societal trends, as well as emerging technologies: 

NEVADA CITY, CA -- Demand for portable Internet connectivity devices such as cellphones, tablets, GPS devices, MP3 players and more is very strong, despite poor economic times. What these items have in common is that they all pack an enormous amount of functionality into a very small space.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Jabil Circuit’s fiscal first-quarter net profits grew 5.8% year-over-year to $112.9 million on growth across all major business segments.

Net revenue increased 6% to $4.33 billion, within range of previous forecasts.

The diversified manufacturing services segment continued to be the strongest performer year-over-year during the period, making up 30% of revenue. Enterprise and Infrastructure reported slower revenue growth as a result of customer inventory adjustments.

Jabil forecasts $4 billion to $4.2 billion in second-quarter revenue.

The EMS company manufactures printed circuit boards for the computer, automotive, networking and telecom equipment markets.

SHENZHEN – The 2011 International Printed Circuit & Electronics Assembly Fair attracted 33,868 visits for its 10th anniversary.

TUNIS, TUNISIA – Viscom AG has opened a branch to support the printed circuit board inspection OEM’s North African customers.

The manufacturer of optical and x-ray inspection systems said the new office will provide a free hotline service, training, and applications services. The site will also carry out installations.

CAMBRIDGE, MA – MIT and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed an online, searchable database of more than 18,000 chemical compounds.

The project, a direct outgrowth of MIT’s Materials Genome Project, initiated in 2006 by Prof. Gerbrand Ceder, compiles data previously scattered in many different places, most of them not even searchable. The site’s tools can predict how two compounds react with one another, what that composite’s molecular structure is, and how stable it would be at different temperatures and pressures. It slashes the months of work it once took to consult tables of data, perform calculations and carry out precise lab tests to create a single phase diagram to a matter of minutes.

The tool could revolutionize product development in fields from energy to electronics to biochemistry, its developers say. The site computes many materials’ properties in real time, using the supercomputing capacity of the Lawrence Berkeley Lab.

More than 500 researchers from universities, research labs and companies have used the new system to seek new materials for lithium-ion batteries, photovoltaic cells and new lightweight alloys for use in cars, trucks and airplanes. Access is free, but requires registration.

BURNABY, CANADA – The founder and president of contract electronic manufacturer Dorigo Systems has acquired the business assets and operations of printed circuit board fabricator Enigma Interconnect.

SINGAPORE -- Halogen-free compounds might be "greener," but researchers are finding their metallurgical effects leave a lot to be desired.

JIANGXI, CHINA – Ryder Electronics will open a 280,000 sq. ft. manufacturing site here in 2012, with plans to eventually increase the size to 430,000 sq. ft.

GLENVIEW, IL -- Illinois Tool Works' Power Systems and Electronics segment today reported November quarter revenue rose 18% year-over-year, continuing a long recovery.

KARLSKOGA, SWEDEN -- Kitron will shutter its electronics manufacturing services plant here due to falling demand and the transfer of its largest customer to a company site in China.