Circuits Assembly Online Magazine - News

News

TORONTO -- Celestica lowered its fourth-quarter revenue estimate about 9% to $2.20 billion to $2.25 billion for the period ending Dec. 31, due to in drops in demand from several customers.

On Oct. 26, the EMS firm had guided for revenue of $2.25 billion to $2.45 billion.

ST. LOUIS -- LaBarge Inc. has won a contract to produce assemblies for Lockheed Martin's naval surface weapon system. No financial details were disclosed.

Production is expected to begin in July 2007 and continue through April 2008.

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, IL -- SigmaTron International reported revenues rose 29% to $44.9 million in the October quarter over the prior year. Net income dropped 42% to $708,011.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL -- Jabil Circuit today said it was not able to file its annual report on Form 10-K for its 2006 fiscal year by the Nov. 29 Securities and Exchange Commission deadline. Jabil cited ongoing shareholder and class action lawsuits related to previous stock options grants, which has led the company to restate its financials for at least 2005 and perhaps other periods as well.

CHIBA, JAPAN – The top semiconductor equipment manufacturers last week predicted the market would grow 3,7% in 2007, followed by 13% in 2008, ultimately hitting $50.42 billion by 2009, the SEMI trade group said.

Survey respondents project 2006 sales will reach $40.64 billion, a 24% gain year-over-year.

The forecast is based on interviews conducted between late October and November with companies representing a majority of the total sales volume for the global semiconductor equipment industry.

DERBY, KS - Q Corp. has opened a new facility in Derby, KS. The company is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. Q Corp. designs and manufactures tape-and-reel and lead trimming equipment. It has customers in more than 20 countries.

SUZHOU, CHINA – Phihong Technology has opened a $30 million, one million sq. ft. production plant in Suzhou. The facility, sited five miles from Phihong’s existing plant, will house up to 50 production lines, employ more than 9,000 workers, and will reportedly manufacture up to 50 million power supplies per month. The facility will manufacture power supplies, adapters and other electronics equipment.

SAN JOSE -- Bay Area executives are gaining optimism over their prospects, according to a quarterly survey.

Optimists outnumbered pessimists by more than four to one in the Silicon Valley, according to the quarterly Bay Area Business Confidence Index. The survey of 542 top executives was conducted in October by consulting firm McKinsey.

DALLAS, OR -- Printed circuit board maker TTM Technologies will shutter its Dallas, OR, facility, and lay off about 300 workers, the company said. TTM expects to take a charge of $2.6 million for severance in the first quarter of 2007.

Production will be moved to other company sites, primarily in Logan, UT, and Redmond, WA.

PENANG, MALAYSIA – Pac Tech will open a high-volume wafer bumping facility in Penang next year. The 40,000 sq. ft. location will be completed in June and will be designed for mass production of wafer bumping using electroless NiAu, solder stencil printing, wafer sawing, solder-ball placement and more. The facility will reportedly be able to process 600,000 wafers annually to start. The company will begin producing in volume in October.

BRUSSELS -- The EU Commission has opened discussions for its latest round of requests for exemptions to the RoHS Directive.

A list of proposed exemptions is available here.

Among the requests: That all uses of lead in solders be exempted on the grounds that the replacements are more environmentally damaging than the leaded versions.

WASHINGTON — Some U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staff are looking at removing lead from a 30-year-old list of air pollutants, and could recommend the same to the Bush administration.

In an EPA staff paper released Tuesday, agency said it would evaluate the status of lead as an air pollutant and "assess whether the revocation of the standard is an appropriate option for the Administrator to consider."