Jersey City, NJ  – Cookson Electronics Assembly Materials has established a Global Applications Technology and Engineering group, which will join its global R&D group. The new group’s mission is to help customers solve assembly technology, yield and reliability challenges by understanding process dynamics, and incorporating internal testing and validation capabilities.
 
"The formation of the Global Applications Technology and Engineering group gives Cookson Electronics the ability to increase its development and output of process engineering expertise into the world of electronics manufacturing,” said Steve Brown, director of global applications technology. “This new group has been formed at a time when assemblers are continually finding new practical challenges in assembly processes, as Pb-free production becomes a daily reality. At the disposal of the group is our a global team of field applications engineers along with two fully automated SMT and wave soldering lines, with automatic solder paste inspection. This enables us to re-create and solve process problems from within Cookson Electronics labs, by using either Cookson test vehicles or customer specific PWBs."
 

Framingham, MA –  In a recent report from Manufacturing Insights, supply chain research director Bob Ferrari identifies intellectual property protection and supplier strategies as the top two risk areas facing manufacturing and retail executives with operations in China. Other risk areas include logistics and transportation, infrastructure, and national as well as local political events.
 
Ferrari authored the report, which is based on the results from MI’s annual Low Cost Manufacturing in China survey.

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Kunshan, China -- Nanya PCB will invest around $613 million to expand PCB materials production capacity of its plant in Kunshan, Jiangsu Province, China, DigiTimes reported.
 
The company will expand capacity for producing glass yarn and glass fabric by 40,000 tons and 9 million sq. m., respectively, the paper said. Nanya is also expected to soon finish the second-stage capacity expansion at the plant, with the CCL (copper-clad laminate) capacity to exceed that of the company's Taiwan operations by the first half of 2007.

ARLINGTON, VA – Electronic component orders were flat in July, marking the second consecutive month that the 12-month average showed little or no gain (compared to 2005). The four-to-five-week index, which shows order fluctuations over a 10-year period, was down according to the monthly report compiled by the Electronic Components, Assemblies & Materials Association (ECA).
 
“We’re pretty much in a holding pattern,” said Bob Willis, ECA president. “The fact that the four-to-five-week index is down is more indicative of a strong month last July compared to 2004 than any significant development last month. The flat 12-month moving average probably reflects a wait-and-see attitude among manufacturers based on uncertainty over the current economic and political climate.”