Circuits Assembly - November 2008 - (Page 10)

NEWS In Brief show takes place Aug. 31-Sept. 2 at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Centre. Eagle Test Systems (eagletest.com) has begun using Camstar Systems’ (camstar.com) Electronics Suite for visibility and traceability in manufacturing. TTI Inc. (tti-inc.com) acquired the Mateleco Group, a connector distributor with six European locations. YESTech (yestech.com) will provide F1 series AOI, and YTX-3000 and X3 AXI to Catalyst Manufacturing Services (catalystems.com) at its three North American plants. Dot Hill Systems (dothill.com) will outsource manufacturing, assembly and test to Foxconn Technology Group (fihfoxconn.com) in China. Trace Laboratories (tracelabs.com) has opened a testing laboratory in Shanghai. The lab supports material analysis, functionality, design validation, dimensional measurements and process validation testing. Trace sees the new facility as an “important step in assisting customers with their product validation in a timely fashion.” Industry CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY’s NPI Award Registration Now Open SMYRNA, GA – CirCuits Assembly will accept entries for its 2009 New Product Introduction Award for electronics assembly equipment, materials and software suppliers beginning Nov. 3. The 2d annual NPI Award recognizes the leading new products for electronics assembly during the past 12 months. Awards are selected by an independent panel of practicing industry engineers, and are presented NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTION AWARD by CirCuits Assembly. The 2008 winners included Inovaxe, Aqueous, Kyzen, Siemens, Europlacer, BPM Microsystems, Ovation, Polyonics, Nihon Superior, ECD, R&D Technical Services, ICON, Optimal, DEK, Juki, Balver-Zinn, DKL, FCT, EVS International, VJ Electronix, Everett Charles Technologies, Mirtec and Henkel. Entrants must submit a single registration form for each product and category entered to Chelsey Drysdale at cdrysdale@upmediagroup.com. All entries must include a 250-word (maximum) statement describing the product in terms of its innovation, compatibility, cost-effectiveness, design, speed/ throughput improvements, ease of use, and maintainability and reparability; a PDF or Word file of corresponding technical product literature and/or product specifications, and a high-resolution (266 dpi or greater) digital image (.jpg, .tif or .eps). The entry fee is $500 per product. Online registration forms will be available Nov. 3. To be eligible, entries must have been introduced to market (any region) no earlier than April 1, 2008. Assembléon to Cut 29% of Workforce EINDHOVEN, NETHERLANDS – Assembléon (assembleon.com) will reduce its worldwide headcount by 210 positions, or 29%, in response to the downturn in the global economy and the placement equipment market, the company said in October. The proposed plans would drop the company’s global workforce to 510, from its current 720. Included in the cuts would be 135 positions in the Netherlands, where the company currently employs 390 workers. Assembléon has asked its Works Council for advice on the proposed head-count reductions and will help affected employees find new positions, the company said in a press release. The moves are being made to help the firm become “structurally profitable while maintaining its technology leadership.” – Mike Buetow Delphi Tax Abatement Could Save 3,000 Jobs KOKOMO, IN – In hopes of enticing Delphi Electronics & Safety (delphi.com) to keep some 3,000 jobs here, city councilors have reportedly approved a $160 million tax abatement for the company. The Common Council will hold a public hearing on the recommended abatement, a precursor to final approval, on Oct. 13. Monies from the tax abatement would go toward the purchase of new electronics manufacturing equipment, with a reported $100 million earmarked for new equipment at the Kokomo operations. – Mike Buetow People Cookson Electronics’ Assembly Materials Group Heidenhain (heidenpromoted chose Valor’s hain.com) Rick Ertmann to president, (Design for (valor.com) DFMresponsible for its Alpha and software Manufacturability) Semiconductor Packaging units. for design verification. Ertmann has been with Cookson’s AMG unit since 1987, and has run its Americas, European and Asian regional businesses. Sypris Solutions appointed Brian A. Lutes vice president and chief financial officer. He was previously with General Electric and MAG Industrial Automation Systems. Economy the Talk at IPC Midwest SCHAUMBURG, IL – The IPC Midwest trade show played to modest attendance and plenty of concern over the economy. The second-year event attracted modest traffic, aided by the ongoing technical conference and standards writing meetings. Very little in the way of equipment or materials was introduced at the show. That freed plenty of time to discuss the economy, particularly the massive financial markets meltdown, which have most parties convinced will take at least two quarters to dig out from under. Some expressed concerns over the ability of customers to obtain loans for necessary capital improvements. The trade group IPC gave out more than 70 awards during the week, primarily to individuals for circuitsassembly.com 10 Circuits Assembly NOVEMBER 2008 http://www.eagletest.com http://www.camstar.com http://www.camstar.com http://www.tti-inc.com http://www.yestech.com http://www.catalystems.com http://www.catalystems.com http://www.dothill.com http://www.assembleon.com http://www.fih-foxconn.com http://www.fih-foxconn.com http://www.tracelabs.com http://www.delphi.com http://www.circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - November 2008

Circuits Assembly - November 2008 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Focus on Business On the Forefront Screen Printing Better Manufacturing RoHS Conversion for Medical Devices Supporting Full-Service Customer Requirements at the Regional EMS Level Speed Thrills Tech Tips Wave Soldering Process Doctor Pb-Free Lessons Learned The Defects Database Getting Lean Materials World Product Spotlight Ad Index Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - November 2008

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