CHENNAI – Delta Electronics has invested $60 million in overseas subsidiaries partly to build a manufacturing plant in India and to penetrate the Australian market.

Delta said about $13 million would be spent to build the new factory for Delta India Electronics, producing solar inverters in Chennai, and to support its working capital.

The plant will take eight months to build and operations are scheduled to begin before the final quarter of this year.

Also, a budget of $22 million has been approved for an R & D equipment investment at Delta Energy Systems, a subsidiary in Germany.

Delta reported a net profit of 4.15 billion baht last year, up 47% from 2009. Net sales rose 24% to 35.73 billion. In the final quarter, net profit dropped 27% year-over-year to 520 million baht, as revenue increased 25% to 9.5 billion.

NORTH YORK, ONTARIO – EMS firm ZTEST Electronics is offering shares in the company in an effort to raise funds.

The placement will be for up to 1.8 million units at $0.075 per unit, or $135,000 total. Each unit is comprised of one common share and one-half a share purchase warrant, with each full share purchase warrant entitling the holder to acquire a common share of the corporation at $0.10 for five years following closing.

ZTEST will pay a 4% cash finder’s fee on the gross proceeds raised in the offering.

J.T. Risty Ltd., an insider of the corporation, intends to subscribe for up to one million units of the offering for proceeds of up to $75,000. Risty currently owns 745,790 common shares, 14.2% of the firm. As a result of this proposed transaction, Risty will hold up to 27.88% of outstanding capital of nearly 6.3 million common shares.

Insiders other than Risty may subscribe for up to 800,000 units for up to $60,000.

CUPERTINO, CA -- Apple this week is again addressing concerns over its role in the spate of suicides at its largest manufacturing supplier.

VANCOUVER -- Micro-tier EMS firm Pacific Insight Electronics swung to a fiscal second-quarter net loss of $166,000, one year after turning in a profit of $23,000.

COPENHAGEN – Sypris Electronics is opening Sypris Europe, its wholly owned subsidiary here.

Sypris Europe will have primary responsibility for developing and sustaining emerging market needs in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as they relate to information assurance and cyber security. The office also will support the firm’s network of international distributors and agents. 

Sypris Europe will offer services for the European defense and aerospace industry, including NATO and the EU. The subsidiary will support Sypris Solutions, Sypris Technologies and Sypris Electronics. 

Michael Stokes, who headed international business development efforts in Tampa, will lead the subsidiary as managing director.

SUZHOU – UPG International will open a fourth plant here next month to accommodate electronics assembly for its medical segment.

TAIPEI -- Top 20 electronics manufacturing services company Global Brands Manufacture reported revenues of NT$3.17 billion ($108.5 million) in January.

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ – The Chinese State Intellectual Property Office has granted Cookson Electronics a patent for the Alpha SACX Plus solder alloys.

Covered alloys include SACX Plus 0807, SACX Plus 0307, SACX Plus 0107 and SACX Plus HASL.

Alpha is a business unit of Cookson Electronics.

TAIPEI -- Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn Electronics) reported January revenues of NT$186.23 billion ($6.37 billion), up 36.6% from last year.

SAN JOSE, CA – In 2010, worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased 40% to 9.37 billion in² compared to 2009, says SEMI. Revenues improved 45% year-over-year to $9.7 billion.

“Given current market forecasts, we are expecting solid demand for silicon wafers in 2011, although at a much more modest post-recovery rate,” said Dr. Volker Braetsch, chairman of SEMI SMG and corporate VP of Siltronic.

Wafer shipments are considered a leading indicator for future printed circuit board and electronics assembly orders.

The data include polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers, epitaxial silicon wafers, and non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.

WASHINGTON -- The US National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration and NASA this week issued their final report absolving Toyota's vehicles of malfunctions that caused unintended acceleration.

MUNICH -- Europe’s share of the component placement equipment market ticked up last quarter, according to industry sources.