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Greetings!
A friend of mine said at SEMICON West recently that he detected a shift
in the assembly industry.
When I asked him what he meant by that, he explained, “Companies such
as ITW, Nordson and Francisco Partners have been buying up significant
parts of the supplier base, while on the CEM side of the business there
is consolidation, as evidenced by the recent Flextronics acquisition
of Solectron.” Not
all of this, he claims is good for the industry.
From a personal perspective, I have noticed on a number of recent visits
to manufacturers a trend towards introducing an increasing number of products
upstream or downstream from their main product range. The reason at least
one supplier gave me was the future consolidation of the industry into a
smaller number of larger contract manufacturers, being serviced by a smaller
number of suppliers.
None of this means that the industry is in trouble; indeed quite the reverse.
Electronic equipment continues to proliferate and the number of consumers
who can afford to buy them continues to increase. Despite a lethargic first
half of the year, Q3 and Q4 are looking optimistic in terms of equipment
orders. What these changes do indicate is the constant need for change and
the necessity to keep reinventing yourself.
Trevor Galbraith
Editor-in-Chief
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EFD Soldering Products
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| Download
the August Issue (7.8) |
The July 2007 issue of Global SMT & Packaging magazine focuses on medical
electronics, 3D stacking trends, and liquid tin corrosion in lead-free wave
soldering. Regular EU-edition columnist Bob Willis discusses LEADOUT online
training. North-America-edition columnist Joe Fjelstad talks about IC packaging,
which is nearing its 50 year anniversary. Werner Englemaier continues his column
on solder joint reliability in a lead-free world. Download
now.
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IPC Midwest: September
26-28, Shaumburg, Illinois, USA
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Medical electronics
pose unique challenges
by Anthony Primavera, Roger Roberts, Ravi Subrahmanyan
As the world’s population ages, spending on medical care is
increasing, and electronics are playing an increasingly larger – and
more important – role in healthcare delivery. According to Prismark
Partners, approximately $53 billion was spent on non-IT medical electronics
equipment in 2006 (Figure 1), accounting for 4% of the global electronics
industry. This amount is expected to increase at an average rate of
5.6% per year to reach $66 billion in 2010.
The 2007 iNEMI Roadmap, which was released to industry earlier this
year, includes technology projections for the medical electronics product
sector. This article includes information from the roadmap as well
as from iNEMI’s medical electronics initiatives. Read
the full article...
This article was taken from Global SMT & Packaging Vol. 7 No.
7 - July 2007
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Don't
miss this totally electronics focused event
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| Walt & Jon Custer's Market Update |
Soft
landing in progress; seat belt sign still on
Based upon data through May it appears that the current world semiconductor
business cycle has bottomed. May’s 3-month (3/12) chip shipment growth
of +2.4% was the lowest since mid-2005, but thanks to the ongoing SE Asian
expansion it never entered negative territory. Global electronic equipment
growth varies substantially by region. It is still greater than +25% for
a broad composite of Taiwan-listed OEMs – often with significant
production in China. By comparison U.S. electronic equipment shipment growth
is at ‘break even’ while Japan and Europe are contracting. Read
the full column...
This column was taken from Global SMT & Packaging Vol. 7, No.
8 – August 2007
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Liquid tin
corrosion and lead free wave soldering
by Jim Morris, Matthew J. O’Keefe and Martin Perez
Corrosion of solder pots and solder pot components in wave soldering
equipment has been reduced with the introduction of corrosion-resistant
coatings and improved lead free solder alloys. The latest trends
in protecting wave solder machine components from liquid metal
corrosion by lead free solder alloys will be presented in order
to provide guidelines for evaluating existing equipment as well
as for purchasing new systems. Read
more...
This article was taken from Global SMT & Packaging Vol.
7 No. 7 - July 2007
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Kevin Maddy
interview
RVSI is recognised globally as the industry benchmark in 3D metrology.
In the past two years, the company has repositioned itself under the
leadership of CEO, Kevin Maddy to emerge as a dominant force with 2D
and 3D metrology with a number of cool products in the pipe. Trevor
Galbraith spoke to Kevin Maddy to find out more. Read
more...
This article was taken from Global SMT & Packaging Vol. 7 No.
7 - July 2007
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Market trends
for 3D stacking
by Dr. Eric Mounier
Semiconductor chips face constant pressure for increased performances
while still decreasing their size. At the same time, their packages
must be able to accommodate new functionalities. Today we are
at the crossroads where 3D stacking technologies are gaining
more and more importance and the technical challenges are close
to being overcome. This article highlights the latest trends. Read
more...
This article was taken from Global SMT & Packaging Vol.
7 No. 7 - July 2007
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Koizumi appointed
VP/GM of Speedline
Scott Koizumi has been appointed vice president and general manager of Speedline
Technologies effective July 31.
Favre named president & CEO
of Photo Stencil
Stencil manufacturer Photo Stencil has named Keith Favre president and CEO, effective
later this month.
Speedline to
present webinar on high speed paste inspection
On Thursday, September 13, 2007, a webcast will be offered on high speed
solder paste inspection techniques and tools.
How Apple wins
markets and influences chips
Company’s product development activities help maintain U.S. design
leadership.
Digi-Key Corporation
and Johanson Dielectrics Inc. sign global distribution deal
Digi-Key Corporation and Johanson Dielectrics, Inc., a worldwide producer of
high quality ceramic chip capacitors, announced today the signing of a global
distribution agreement.
DEK customers
can expect more with new regional website content
DEK has unveiled new regional online portals designed to enhance its
ability to meet the local requirements of its global customer base.
Enthone appoints
Bioh Kim process integration manager
Mr. Bioh Kim has been appointed process integration manager - electronic materials,
by Enthone, Inc., a business of Cookson Electronics.
Free Process
Advice and Defect Clinic in the Florida sun
“Process Advice & Defect Clinic” is a special feature organised
by Bob Willis to provide visitors to SMTA International 9-10th October in Orlando,
Florida.
Joseph Fjelstad
to deliver PCB East 2007 keynote address
The PCB Design Conference East 2007 in Durham, NC, on Tuesday, October
23, at 11 a.m. in the Durham Marriott at the Civic Center.
Indium Corporation
exhibits at European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference
Indium Corporation will be exhibiting at the 22nd European Photovoltaic
Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition in Milano, Italy, September 3-7,
2007.
More Industry News...
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KIC introduces
new KIC Explorer thermal profiler
KIC Explorer easily moves through the restrictive process dimensions encountered
in today’s thermal applications.
New Henkel dicing
die attach films deliver exceptional performance
These innovative materials deliver the throughput and performance improvements
sought after by today’s packaging professionals.
OK International
launches new array package rework system
APR-5000-DZ array package rework system enables fast ramp and tighter delta
temperature control for lead-free rework without affecting adjacent and underside
components.
Sanmina-SCI manufactures
world's first protoype PCB with 100% embedded ESD protection
Initial third-party testing indicated marked improvement in ESD resistance
of the sensitive memory devices mounted on the PCB.
More New Products...
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Forward to
a colleague
Global SMT & Packaging magazine
email: tgalbraith@globalsmt.net
phone: 01458 833207
web: http://www.trafalgarpublications.com
Trafalgar Publications Limited
65 High Street
Glastonbury, Somerset
BA6 9DS United Kingdom
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August 21, 2007
Have something to say?
Global SMT & Packaging is currently accepting submissions
of original, previously unpublished technical articles, industry-related
book reviews, and articles that offer insight into industry trends
and developments. For more information, or to submit a query, contact
Trevor Galbraith at editor@globalsmt.net.
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