Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine - Fab News

Fab News

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Jabil Circuit announced that it plans to layoff 150 workers in December, due to the troubled global economy and a decline in customer orders. The company has not identified which product lines will be affected; 100 manufacturing and 50 office jobs are on the block.

Read more: Jabil Cuts 150 Jobs

GHENT, BELGIUM – UCAMCO has appointed Rik Vandekerckhove as sales director for Asia. He will be responsible for sales of the company’s full range of software and plotter products in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, South-East Asia and India.

He brings more than 20 years of experience in the printed circuit board (PCB) industry. Prior to joining UCAMCO, Vandekerckhove was a product support and development engineer for a major European PCB fabricator.

UCAMCO feels his experience has given him an understanding of the Asian market and a knowledge of the needs of Asian fabricators. “He will continue to work with our agents and distributors in each country to ensure that every customer gets the maximum benefit from our products,” explained Karel Tavernier, managing director.

TAIPEI – Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board (NPC) is predicting its sales in the printed circuit board (PCB) industry will decrease 15% to 25% for the fourth quarter. Despite the decline, investors expect NPC to perform above the industry average due to its product diversity and ties with first-tier customers such as Intel.

Read more: NPC Forecasts Falling Sales

ST. LOUIS, MO and OAK CREEK, WI – Viasystems Group Inc. has announced that it will close its Oak Creek manufacturing and distribution plant next year. The closure will take place in phases, with nearly 240 employees affected. The first, and largest, phase of layoffs is planned for January 19, and the final round is scheduled for May 31.

CHANDLER, AZ – Isola USA Corporation has settled its complaint against Iteq Corporation. In October, Isola had filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission regarding the unlawful importation of certain prepregs, laminates and printed circuit boards (PCBs) that infringed on the company’s patents.

Read more: Update: Isola and Iteq Settle Patent Dispute

ANAHEIM, CA -- Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. announced that it has agreed to acquire Pelikon Limited. Pelikon, a privately-held company, is working on the development of printed segmented electroluminescent (pSELTM) displays and keypads.

Read more: MFLEX to Purchase Electroluminescent Display Company