CircuiTree - September 2008 - (Page 8)

Industry Review News May 2008, combined industry shipments for June 2008 were up 12.0 percent and bookings were up 20.4 percent. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in June declined to 0.95. Demand for Locally Designed ICs Heats Up in China A ccording to iSuppli, although China’s semiconductor purchasing boom is cooling down, the nation’s demand for locally designed chips is heating up (as reported by DigiTimes). iSuppli predicts domestic consumption will rise by more than 60 percent from 2007 to 2012. Further, by 2012, USD 42.1 billion worth of Chinese-designed semiconduc- tors will be purchased for use in electronic equipment made in the nation, up 63.4 percent from USD 25.8 billion in 2007. In addition, demand for these locally designed chips is being driven mainly by China- and Hong Kongbased electronics OEMs and contract manufacturers; foreign ODMs that develop and manufacture goods for Chinese OEMs are also contributing to the growth. Rohm and Haas Increases Investment in Taiwan With Expansion of Asia-Pacific Manufacturing Facility, Reports Second Quarter Results Hsinchu, Taiwan – Rohm and Haas Electronic Materials, CMP Technologies, is increasing investments in its Asia-Pacific Pad Manufacturing Facility located in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The investment is aimed at accelerating the company’s capacity expansion to meet the growing demand for CMP pads from semiconductor manufacturing customers in Asia; the plant has been fully operational since March 2007 and has been qualified by major logic and memory semiconductor customers in the region. Rohm and Haas also reported Q2 FY 08 sales of USD 2,567 million; this is a 17 percent year-over-year increase. Rohm and Haas reported Q2 FY 08 earnings from continuing operations of USD 147 million, or USD 0.75 per share, compared to USD 161 million, or USD 0.75 per share, for Q2 FY 07. Merix Announces Fourth Quarter Results Beaverton, Ore. – For Q3 FY 08, Merix Corporation reported a loss from continuing operations of USD 3.5 million or USD 0.17 per diluted share on revenue of USD 87.6 million, compared to a loss from continuing operations of USD 80.1 million or USD 3.87 per diluted share on revenue of USD 93.6 million for Q4 FY 07. Revenue for Q4 FY 08 declined 6 percent when compared to Q4 FY 07; the decline was expected and is primarily a result of the normal cyclical slowdowns that occur in the PCB industry and has been experienced in the North American market over the last 12 to 18 months. On a sequential quarterly basis, Q4 FY 08 revenue declined 7 percent when compared to Q3 FY 08. IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for June Bannockburn, Ill. – IPC released the June findings from its monthly North American PCB Statistical program. Between June 2007 and June 2008, rigid PCB shipments were up 2.9 percent and bookings were down 4.5 percent. Rigid PCB shipments increased 5.8 percent and bookings increased 6.6 percent year-over-year. June 2008’s book-to-bill ratio for the rigid PCB industry slipped to 0.94. Flexible circuit shipments in June increased 8.9 percent and bookings increased 12.2 percent year- over-year. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments were up 4.2 percent and bookings were down 8.8 percent. Compared to May 2008, flexible circuit shipments were up 15.8 percent and flex bookings increased 11.4 percent. The flexible circuit book-tobill ratio continued to inch up to 1.02. For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in June increased 3.3 percent from June 2007 and orders booked decreased 3.4 percent from June 2007. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 5.7 percent and bookings were up 5.4 percent. Compared to For a list of positions available, check in at NDS Associates Web Site 8 September 2008 • circuitree.com http://www.ndsassoc.com http://www.ndsassoc.com http://circuitree.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CircuiTree - September 2008

CircuiTree - September 2008 Contents My Line Industry Review Tech Talk Flexible Thinking New Halogen-Free Materials: Their Time Has Finally Arrived Asian Section IPC Issues PCB and Package Convergence Ask the Flexperts Market Outlook IPCA Showcase Technical Product Spotlights Classified Ads Upcoming Events Ad Index

CircuiTree - September 2008

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