WASHINGTON — Worldwide sales of semiconductors fell 14.6% year-over-year to $33.1 billion in May, a leading trade group said today.

WESTLAKE, OH -- Nordson has acquired Optical Control, a designer and developer of automatic counting systems based on x-ray technology.

WASHINGTON -- Congress is again trying to prevent counterfeit electronics from reaching domestic products, introducing a bill today that would prevent US companies from sending discarded devices offshore for recycling.

MORRISVILLE, PA – Gelest announced today the acquisition of Bimax, a manufacturer and marketer of specialty monomers and polymers for use in the manufacture of coatings and adhesives, consumer items, and other advanced technology applications.

SCOTTSDALE, AZ – Semiconductor industry capital spending is expected to be down 15% year-over-year in 2019 and 5% in 2020, after growth of 11% in 2018, said IC Insights.

BANNOCKBURN, IL — Total North American printed circuit board shipments in May were up 5.6% year-over-year, according to IPC. Year-to-date sales growth was 12.3%. Sequentially, May shipments increased 2.5%.

BERLIN – After two years of favorable results, the first signs of market stagnation are now becoming apparent in the German component distribution sector, says a key German trade group.

QUANG NINH, VIETNAM – Foxconn Vietnam is planning to open a $40 million TV screen component factory here, according to reports.

LONDON – Saudi Arabian Military Industries (SAMI) has signed a term sheet agreement to acquire 100% ownership in Advanced Electronics Co.

PASADENA, CA – The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued a call for interest to fabricate and assemble the engineering model of the Avionics Reference Bus Compute Element (RBCE) assemblies based on heritage designs from the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

WASHINGTON, DC — The US EPA has proposed to reduce reporting burden on byproducts sent for recycling and seeks clarifications in the final Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Data Reporting (CDR) rule.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC presented Committee Leadership, Special Recognition and Distinguished Committee Service Awards to individuals who made significant contributions to IPC and the industry by lending their time and expertise in the development of electronics manufacturing standards.