Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - Market News

Market News

ESPOO, FINLAND – Nokia Siemens Networks has agreed to acquire certain assets from Nortel.

DANBURY, CT -- Dr. Alan Rae has joined Gene H. Weiner & Associates, Inc. as a senior associate. Dr. Rae is a recognized industry expert in the high technology electronics industry with skills that include general and engineering management, strategic visioning, technology transfers and new technology/business development including ceramics and nanotechnology.

Dr. Rae has been involved with the development and commercialization of leading edge technology for over 30 years, including executive management and leadership roles at TAM Ceramics, Cookson Electronics, and NanoDynamics.

Dr. Rae has chaired numerous technical committees including Chair of NEMI’s Optoelectonics TIG, Chair of iNEMI’s Research Committee and JISSO’s North America Committee (coordinating international standards organizations). He is the Leader of ISO TC 229 Task Group on “Sustainability and Nanotechnology”.

EL SEGUNDO, CA -- First quarter PC shipments fell by the largest rate in the seven years, as sluggish desktop sales dragged total shipments down, says iSuppli Corp.

AUSTIN, TX-- According to a DisplaySearch report, shipments of large-sized (10-inch plus) thin-film transistor, liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels reached 10.6 million units in the first quarter, up 63% sequentially and 78% year-on-year.

A total of 70.8 billion LEDs were shipped in 2008. Shipments of LED backlights for large-size (10-inch plus) TFT LCDs will exceed 368 million in 2012.

LED backlights in notebook PCs will reach 52% in 2009, and will grow rapidly to 81% in 2010. Usage in LCD TVs will ramp up from 3% (3.6 million units) in 2009 to 10% (15 million units) in 2010.

“LEDs will create new growth for the TFT LCD industry due to characteristics such as lowering power consumption, meeting green requirements, adding dimming capability, improving color performance and enabling slim and light form factors for LCD panels and applications,” noted Yoshio Tamura, vice president of DisplaySearch and the component research team leader.

TAIPEI – According to a survey released by China Credit Information Service, and reported by CENS, half of the top 10 companies in Taiwan were in the red for 2008 and 20% of the top 500 companies posted a loss for the year.

Employment in Taiwan was down by 21,400 in 2008.

In 2007 total revenue from the top 500 companies grew by 44.4%, but in 2008 revenue only increased by 1.2%.

The export and technology segments were hardest hit. Electronic components and printed circuit board companies suffered some of the biggest losses for the year.