Merix' Sales up 95%

Sales for the fiscal year 2006 increased approximately 65% to $309.0 million, compared to $187.0 million for fiscal 2005

Kathrand Sells Precision Circuits of San Diego (US)

Precision Circuits has served the area since 1985 and recently added black box design, board layout, and component assembly to round out the circuit board fabrication capability

Nanya PCB Expects Record Quarterly Revenues and Profit

Nanya PCB, Taiwan's largest flip-chip (FC) substrate supplier, may hit a quarterly revenue and profit record in the second quarter of 2006, beating a record reached in the first quarter of this year

A Review of the EIPC Summer Conference - Venice

Walt Custer painted the backdrop to the conference by giving us some facts and figures, of which he had, as always, plenty. The 2006 world market for rigid and flex PCBs is $44 billion, of which Europe accounts for only 8% against China's 26%

Multilayer Technology is now 'Live' with Free 'On-Demand' DFM Reporting

"This new technology is the most advanced technology I have seen in over 20 years of business

Fire at Panasonic PCB Laminate Plant in Enns, Austria

This plant supplies AT&S Austria Technologie und Systemtechnik AG with laminates for the production of printed circuit boards in Leoben-Hinterberg

Endicott Interconnect Technologies: Exclusive Interview with North America's High Technology PCB and Packaging Leader

Dan Beaulieu conducts an exclusive audio interview with James J. McNamara Jr., President of Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc.

CircuiTree's Steve Gold Presents "Around the World in 30 Minutes"

CircuiTree publisher provides a snapshot of the global PCB industry and how it has changed over the last five years

Aqueous and Solvent Processing of Solder Mask Materials

There are rather big regional differences of using solvent or aqueous developing processes. The European market is dominated

Photocircuits Exclusive Interview

Photocircuits' Execs talk about the company's rise as a top-ten global player, its consolidation, its reorganization under Chapter 11 bankruptcy and how it's positioned going forward.

The Electronic Interconnection Files - 4 - "Civil Engineering" of Electronic Interconnections

"Civil Engineering" of Electronic Interconnections

Merix Corporation Revenue Up 23%

Merix' non-GAAP results improved to income of $872 thousand in the first quarter of fiscal 2006 compared to a loss of $1.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2005

ECA Order Index Rises for Second Consecutive Month

Market Will Be Watched Closely for Effects of Energy Prices and Katrina Aftermath

CEA Recommends a National Framework for Electronics Recycling to Congress

Testimony Notes a Majority of CEA Members Support Advanced Recovery Fee

New Compact PCB Plotter Available

LPKF Laser & Electronics' ProtoMat S62 circuit board plotter delivers advanced PCB prototyping capabilities with reduced board production time and increased overall accuracy. Combining a maximum milling speed of 150 mm/sec, a system resolution of 0.25 µm and a 62,000-rpm spindle motor, the plotter produces fine traces for all types of PCBs, including RF and microwave boards.

Isola Group SARL to Purchase Gividi-Italy

Isola Group announces the acquisition of the assets and intellectual property of Gividi-Italy, a specialty manufacturer of fiber-glass cloth for the PCB industry. The company, located in Monza, Italy, has revenue of over $20 million, and will report to Isola Europe. The acquisition will be completed during April 1, though terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

One Satellite Order: Explanation for September Surge in U.S. Electronic Equipment Orders

 Unadjusted ($M) Seasonally Adjusted ($M)January 630 684February 552 571March 505 464April 384 397May 430 383June 553 529July 498 544August 376 372September 3,480 3,432

U. S. Electronic Equipment Orders Surge in September. Will Components Soon Follow?

U. S. Electronic Equipment Orders Surge in September Will Components Soon Follow? By Walt Custer November 1, 2004 N. American PCB Market The slump in the N. American PCB market continued through September. For rigid printed circuits, the 3-month average (July-August-September) book/bill was 1.01 but the 1-month (September only) dropped to 0.87 (Chart 1). With few exceptions, most of the N. American PCB supply chain reported September as a difficult month. N. American flexible circuits conti…

Disruption in the European Laminate Industry

PCB-NETWORKBusiness Development by Hans J. Friedrichkeit Disruption in the European Laminate Industry What Isola has in common with Burger King, Continental Airlines and Berliner Bankgesellschaft It's been an eventful 18 months in the European laminate industry. Three manufacturers bankrupt and the world market leader, Isola AG, put up for sale by its parent Ruhrkohle AG (RAG). Is the crisis of the last three years fi…

NEPCON Brighton: May 26-27, Brighton, UK

JPCA Show 2004: June 2-6, Tokyo, Japan

Assembly Technology EXPO 2004: Sept. 28-30, Rosemont (Chicago), IL

Europartners Distribution Forum: May 12-13, Paris

North America is Coming Back!

North America is Coming Back! By Walt Custer March 1, 2004 Finally, a good North American electronics trade show! The "co-located events" IPC PCB EXPO (printed circuits) and APEX (assembly) that were held February 24-26 in Anaheim, California were, jointly, the best electronics trade shows that North America has seen since the CY2000 bubble. Attendance was up substantially since 2003; the mood was positive; and most importantly, show attendees were not only visiting the booths but PLACING O…

PCB Design Conference West: Mar. 15-19, San Jose, CA

Electronica Update 2004: Mar. 16-17, Tel Aviv, Israel

NEPCON Shanghai/EMT China: Apr. 26-29, Shanghai

Fine, Fast and Flexible: Ruwel at Pfullingen invests in HDI, rush production

RUWEL plant in Pfullingen invests in HDI multilayer and rush production Fine, Fast and Flexible It is not always the case that big is better - often, the winning point is to be fast rather than slow. For this reason, an impressive amount has now been invested in the Pfullingen plant of Ruwel AG to make it into a "rapid reaction" member of the large Ruwel Group. This means that rush production jobs, including those for multilayers, can now be completed in as little as three days. At present, six…

RF & HYPER Europe - Mar. 30 - Apr. 1, Paris

Communications Equipment Warning Signs From USA

Communications Equipment Warning Signs From USA By Walt Custer February 9, 2004 Global communications equipment (datacom and telecom) production totaled just short of $220 billion in 2003 (Chart 1), with Europe the largest producer (final assembly). However, as we know, an increasing share of the electronic content is now made in Southeast Asia. Chart 2 shows the $-denominated 2000-2003 global sales of the seven largest communications companies. Only Nokia has grown since the 2000 "bubble."…

CPCA Show: Mar. 10-12, Shanghai

What share of the global upturn can Europe retain?

Zero growth for the German printed board industry?

Top 16 U.S. PCB Companies: 1995 & 2003 (updated)

2004 We're Off!

The Holiday celebrations are over and now it's time to get back to business.  2003 certainly finished with positive momentum Ð improving global economic conditions, increasing electronic equipment demand and higher volumes and firmer prices throughout the electronic's food chain.  Most forecasters now see 2004 as a year of broad global growth (barring some world catastrophe).

PCB-Making in France in 2002 - A Year to Forget?

Another year of decrease for the whole PCB sector. International competition was felt even for medium runs, and French makers fought for their lives.

Here We Go Again: Be Prudent in the Upturn

The year 2003 is closing with positive global growth for all sectors (Chart 1), and 2004 looks even more encouraging (Chart 2). Although the largest expansions are (and will continue to be) in Southeast Asia, in this time of expansion all areas of the world will enjoy growth.

INTERNEPCON Japan: January 28-30, Tokyo

Virtual PCB Manufacturing: A Virtual Advantage?

VIRTUAL PCB MANUFACTURING By Jason M Pai    Yang An Electronics ABSTRACT With the advent of new technologies, the industrial landscape of the PCB topographic dynamics is in a state of constant change and consolidation. Therefore, traditional business strategies, where the assumption was the existence of a consistent and stable landscape, are obsolete in the current market environment. Those who adhere to that former frame of mind are the ones that will find themselves unable to change with t…

Asia Pacific May Already Hold 85% of World Flex PCB Production

Flex PCB production: Asia Pacific may already hold 85% of world production   Flex in MUSD Share(%) N.America 739 18,08% S.America 0 0,00% W.Europe 124 3,03% Germany 60 1,47% Italy 22 0,54% U.K. 20 0,49% Austria 2 0,05% France 20 0,49% Asia Pacific 322…

Flexible Printed Circuits: a multitude of innovative applications

Picture 2  LCD application

EIPC Winter Conference 2004: Feb. 12-13, Cannes

Top 30 PCB Manufacturers in China in 2002

Grand China Top 30 PCB Manufacturers Four of the five top-producing PCB manufacturers in China in 2002 were Taiwan-owned businesses and one was US-owned, according to the "Grand China Top 30 PCB Manufacturers," a list distributed at TPCA Show 2003. The table, compiled by the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) and citing information from the CPCA, HKPCA, TPCA and IEK, ranks the firms by revenue and lists their major products and nationality of ownership. Regarding major products, four of…

Productronica Report: PCBs & Materials Recovering Now; Most Process Equipment to Wait Until Mid-2004

Productronica Report: PCBs & Materials Recovering Now; Most Process Equipment to Wait Until Mid-2004 By Walt Custer November 17, 2003 I am writing this week's column on UA931, flying back from a four-day visit to Productronica, Europe's premier electronics tradeshow. This year was upbeat. The tone of both the exhibitors and visitors was decidedly more positive compared to prior industry gatherings. Many (but not all) companies are now seeing a noticeable improvement in business condi…

Top 30 Japanese PCB Manufacturers in 2002

PCB007 is pleased to present to our readers a list of the "Top 30 PCB manufacturers in Japan" for 1995-2002. The ranking, which covers a national industry known for being protective of its member companies' statistics, appeared in the July 23, 2003 issue of Densan Shinpo. Our thanks to Densan Shinpo for making the list available. Top 30 Japanese PCB Manufacturers unit: JP Million Rank Company 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 20…

Recovery: More Positive Signs, More People Convinced

Recovery: More Positive Signs, More People Convinced By Walt Custer November 10, 2003 Each week, more and more groups join the "recovery is underway" bandwagon. Electronic "food chain" companies are revising their short-term guidances upward, market research firms have increased the personal computer & mobile phone forecasts, the SIA upped its 2003-6 global semiconductor predictions, "buy & sell-side" stock analysts are now interested in the PCB and EMS sectors as sources of "growth…

Top 36 Taiwan PCB Manufacturers in 2002

Compeq, Unimicron, Nan Ya, WUS and Unitech lead a list of “2002 Top 36 Taiwanese PCB Manufacturers” distributed at TPCA Show 2003. The list was compiled by the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA). Also displayed is each company’s domestic and overseas output value in NT$ and US$. 2002 Top 36 Taiwanese PCB Manufacturers (Unit: Million dollars) Company Domestic Output Overseas Output Total Output Name NT$    US$ NT$ …

Electronic Industry Growth Resumes

Electronic Industry Growth Resumes By Walt Custer September 22, 2003 After almost a three-year downturn, global business conditions are finally improving. Growing end-market demand and increasing inventory replenishment activity will be coupled this autumn with the normal pre-holiday "seasonal upturn." All these factors combined should ensure that the companies that "survived" the last three years will finally enjoy better business. Per Chart 1, the entire global electronics "food chain" wi…

Short Slot Drilling Without Headaches

VdL (Germany)

MLM & Associates

job; jobs; job search; job service; recruit; recruiting

Intellect (UK) (formerly PCIF, FEI & CSSA)

PCIF; FEI; CSSA; Federation of the Electronics Industry; Federation of Electronics Industry; Computing Services and Software Association; Printed Circuit Industry Federation; Printed Circuit Interconect Federation

ZEV-Leiterplatten (Germany)

Development of the PCB industry in Europe

by Michael Gasch,

North American Market Improving; SARS Scrambling Global Picture (June 2003)

China, including Hong Kong, was likely to be the leading producer of eight of 12 key electronic products in 2003. China was expected to account for 40.5% of global output of DVD-ROM drives, 62.2% of DVD players, 35.2% of notebook personal computers, 30.1% of mobile phones, 26.7% of color TVs, and 36.5% of desktop PCs, among others. (China is a key global electronics supplier)

IPC Annual Meeting & Technical Conf. (Nov. 3-7, New Orleans, USA)

Mild Upturn in Early 2003, But Global Uncertainties Prevail (April 2003)

Mild Upturn in Early 2003, But Global Uncertainties Prevail By Walt Custer April 1, 2003 January electronic equipment and PCB orders brought some guarded smiles. Based upon the "early-warning" Durable Goods release, US "Computers & Electronic Product" orders (Chart 1) jumped 3.2% over December 2002 and 2.8% versus last January. PCB orders followed the same pattern. Quoting Henderson Ventures' February PCI report "After nine successive months of declines, US PWB orders increased by a hardy 4…

Productronica 2003: Nov. 11-14, Munich

North American Electronics Outlook: Double-Dip Recession, Flat 2003 or Hockey Stick Recovery? (May 2003)

Electronic Equipment

EIPC Spring Conference: May 15-16, Prague

JPCA Show 2003: June 4-6, Tokyo Big Sight, Japan

Hannover Messe: April 7-12, Hannover

2003 Wrap Up . . . Little to Cheer About (Mar 2003)

General Business Conditions

2002 North American Wrap Up; 2003-2006 Global Outlook (Feb 2003)

General Business Conditions

CPCA Show 2003: March 12-14, Shanghai

APEX 2003: March 29-April 2, Anaheim, CA

Making A Case for Hope (Jan 2003)

A new name and a New Year. Maybe we are starting out on a positive note.

The Road Ahead: Generally Flat with Some Curves and Potholes (Jan 2003)

General Business Conditions

The European PCB industry defends itself, thanks to technology and proximity (Jan 2003)

European Countries with PCB Companies in the Top 36

IPC Printed Circuits Expo 2003 - Mar. 23-27 (Long Beach, CA)

Intertronic 2003 - March 25-28 (Paris)

Message to North American PCB Makers . . . Focus Your Sales Efforts for Survival (Dec 2002)

General Business Conditions

Internepcon World Japan 2003 (Jan. 22-24)

Year 2003

Calendar of events

Clouds Still Blanket North America & Europe, But Some Clearing Is Evident (Nov 2002)

Computers

TPCA Show 2002 (Oct. 31-Nov. 2)