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AUSTIN, TX -- Bare Board Group received National Instruments’ 2009 Supplier of the Year award, recognizing consistent performance beyond expectations throughout the year. The annual awards are presented to suppliers who are commitment to excellence, continuous improvement and innovative practices.

"It's an honor to receive this award from National Instruments and it affirms that Bare Board Group is a world class PCB distributor," said Greg Papandrew, president of BBG. "This recognition could not have been accomplished without the dedication of the personnel in BBG's US and Taiwan offices and BBG's qualified vendors," Papandrew continued. "A true team effort!"

NI recognizes suppliers in six categories: Supplier of the Year, Best in Class, Best Global Support, Tier One, Quality and On-Time Delivery. Recipients of the awards are chosen based on the National Instruments supplier scorecard, which evaluates performance in the areas of cost, quality, global support, delivery, technology and innovation.

“With the rising standard to which global companies are being held, National Instruments makes it a priority to work with suppliers who are dedicated to quality performance, timely delivery, a competitive cost structure and innovative business practices,” said Scott Christman, director of the global supply chain for National Instruments. “These suppliers have demonstrated the commitment, innovation and results that set them apart from the rest of the industry, and we congratulate them for their outstanding accomplishments.”

PETACH-TIKVA, ISRAEL – Eltek Ltd. received a total of $1.2 million in flex-rigid PCB orders from an undisclosed US medical equipment manufacturer.

WALTHAM, MA – PCB East opened its one-day exhibition to an enthusiastic cross section of electronics industry professionals. PCB East had been away from its New England roots for a while, spending a few years in North Carolina and Illinois. The design and fab community in and around Route 128 welcomed PCB East back with strong support, making the one-day table top exhibition, that ran from 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. on Wednesday, a well-attended event.

LOS ALTOS, CA – Industrial & Instrument (I & I) global output is expected to drop 10.4% this year, compared to a 1.3% increase in 2008, says Henderson Ventures.

SANTA ANA, CA – TTM Technologies Inc. swung to a first-quarter profit, reporting net income of $1.4 million, compared to a net loss of $69.2 million the previous quarter. Year-over-year, net income plummeted 90% from $14.4 million.

SAN JOSE – Worldwide semiconductor sales rose 3.3% sequentially to $14.7 billion in March, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported today.

First quarter sales were down 29.9% from last year to $44 billion. Sales were down 15.7% from the fourth quarter.

However, the March gain over February gave a glint of hope that the trough has been reached and a recovery is underway.

“The modest sequential rebound in worldwide sales in March suggests that demand has stabilized somewhat, albeit at substantially lower levels than last year,” said SIA president George Scalise. “While all major product sectors showed month-on-month growth, there continues to be limited visibility in end-markets. There are some bright spots such as smartphones and netbook PCs, but there are no clear signs of early firming of demand in other major end-markets such as automotive, corporate information technology, and consumer electronics.

Sales in all geographic regions except Japan showed month-to-month gains. Sales in Japan were sharply lower, reflecting a drop in the country’s economic output. All geographic regions reported lower first-quarter sales compared to the same period of 2008.

“The global chip industry continues to reflect the influence of the worldwide economic slowdown,” Scalise said. “We expect economic stimulus measures in the U.S. combined with other countries will begin to impact sales as we enter 2010.”