HERNDON, VA – The International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, an industry-led consortium focused on identifying and closing technology gaps, will kick-off its 2009 roadmap in Munich on Nov. 14 at Productronica.
This meeting will introduce the new product sector plans for the 2009 Roadmap, review key technology chapters from the 2007 Roadmap, and provide information about the roadmap process cycle for people interested in participating.
Preliminary work began on the product sector at a meeting held at IPC Midwest, and the product emulator group kick-off is scheduled for Oct. 12 at SMTAI in Orlando. Chairs of the group will meet with the technical committee and technology working group to identify key changes.
TEMPE, AZ – Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in September for the eighth consecutive month, while the overall economy grew for the 71st consecutive month, reports ISM.
Manufacturing grew at a slower rate in September, as the PMI registered 52%, down 0.9 points from August, says ISM. New orders registered 53.4%, down 1.9 points sequentially. Production dipped to 54.6%, 1.5 points lower. Manufacturers’ inventories registered 41.6%, a decrease of 3.8 points. Customers’ inventories were 50%, up 1 point. Backlogs reached 51%, 0.5 points higher sequentially, the firm reports.
ISM spokesman Norbert J. Ore said, “Manufacturing growth continued in September, while some sectors of the economy are apparently struggling. The trend is toward slower growth in manufacturing, as the rate of growth in both new orders and production slowed. The sector is apparently in excellent shape with regard to inventories, as the inventories index fell to 41.6%, indicating significant inventory liquidation. Overall, September looks like a good month for manufacturing.”
WASHINGTON – Responding to the growing shortage of
engineers, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) in September introduced the
Strategic Technology/Engineering Program (STEP) Act of 2007 – “GI Bill style”
legislation that provides incentives for young people entering the engineering
profession.
The bill, H.R. 3634, creates new scholarships and loan
forgiveness for engineering students working toward their P.E. license.
“Our nation needs to make much more efficient use of the
available resources by recruiting students from our best and brightest high
school graduates and encourage them to go on to college to become our next
generation of engineers,” Cleaver said in a statement. “This legislation will
help support engineering students as they complete an education for an industry
that will always be in demand.”
The number of U.S. engineering graduates has steadily
declined in the last two decades, according to the National Science Foundation.
In addition, over 25% of the science and engineering workforce is older than 50
and expected to retire over the next 15 years.
EL SEGUNDO, CA – Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. held onto its lead in the global television market in the second quarter, thanks to its strength in LCD-TV shipments, according to iSuppli Corp.
The South Korean electronics giant managed a 12.4% market share in the overall television unit shipments, with fellow Korean firm LG Electronics coming in second with 11.4%, Philips in third with 7.1%, Sanyo in fourth with 6.3% and TCL taking the fifth rank with a 5.6% share, iSuppli says. China’s TCL, the one-time leader, continued to lose ground in the market as shipments slowed, following the end of the New Year’s shopping season.
The overall television market will expand at a CAGR of 4% between 2007 and 2011 for unit shipments, and 5% for revenue. iSuppli forecasts overall global television shipments will grow to 245.5 million units by 2011, up 15% from 2007 and up 22% from 2006.
It isn’t news that CRT-TV units, revenues and average selling prices will decline during the next five years because of a lack of consumer interest, waning OEM production and rising consumer demand for LCD-TVs and other flat-panel sets, iSuppli states.
What is news is that there are still regional markets for CRT TVs, the firm adds.
The Asia/Pacific region is leading the way with 37% of total CRT-TV shipments in the second quarter, following by China with 21% and Europe with 15%. India is becoming the largest market for CRT TVs in the Asia/Pacific region, as slimmer CRTs encourage consumers to buy, says iSuppli.
EL SEGUNDO, CA – Since the start of 2006, awareness of GPS-based navigation technology has exploded into the public consciousness, moving rapidly from the “nice-to-have” to the “must-have” category, says iSuppli Corp.
The current star of the GPS market is the personal navigation device segment, which continues to develop rapidly as vendors cut prices to maintain their share of sales amid tough competition, the firm adds.
However, with PNDs now in the growth phase of their product lifecycle, prices have gone south, with the ASP falling 23% year-over-year in 2006, according to iSuppli. In spite of these dramatic price cuts, the revenue from PNDs is expected to increase by four-fold between 2006 and 2013, with manufacturers keen to get their hands on a $16.5 billion jackpot in 2013, the firm continues.
iSuppli estimates 40 companies now are offering GPS navigation capabilities on a range of products, from PNDs and embedded systems, to smart phones.
The navigation market used to be clearly segmented into two separate product families: embedded systems and PNDs.
The more costly embedded systems offer the benefits of integration with improved positional accuracy on a large dash-mounted display. PNDs offer most of the important navigation features on a device priced for the consumer mass market, iSuppli notes.
“The general interest in GPS solutions has created a third entrant in the market: the smart phone,” said Richard Robinson, principal analyst for automotive electronics at iSuppli. “Smart phones have the capability to offer wireless Internet connectivity, as well as improved positional accuracy in difficult geographic locations using Assisted-GPS.”
iSuppli expects shipments of GPS-enabled mobile handsets to reach 250 million units by 2010, up from more than 70 million units in 2006.
BEIJING – The China Communications Standards Association has created a task force to study an e-waste recycling standard and a mandatory standard for testing detrimental chemicals in electronic products.
The latter will require all electronics communications products manufactured in the region to be tested prior to being available, according to a ChinaTechNews.com report.
The standard will emulate WEEE and RoHS to help China firms maintain components that comply with EU policies, especially companies that export products to Europe.
The study team will help the association supervise environment testing capabilities in China.
