n the short term, the single-sided flexible circuits segment will perform adequately relative to sales; however, all signs point to a down turn next year. Performance for the rigid module substrates segment is dependant on positive trends from the global semiconductor market as well as fluctuations in exchange rates against the Japanese yen.
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PCB Assembly Operations
Review and projections for Japanese printed circuit board business
China iPhone market demand projections
Some industry reports indicate Apple could soon be announcing a partnership with China Unicom to distribute the iPhone across mainland China. While VentureOutsource.com is unsure of the pending partnership, reports are providing insight into what Apple’s China iPhone venture …
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Printed circuit board and related materials trends
Many mid-sized flexible circuits manufacturers displayed 20 microns pitch and finer circuits for single-sided and double-sided circuits. A few companies employed the semi-additive process for pitches finer than …
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Effects of China’s growing labor unions on your company
The law also requires unionized companies with 200 to 500 employees to have at least one full-time union official, adding one more official for each additional …
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China’s risk: Bubbles burst, that’s what they do
Combined, all of these issues, and many others are becoming fault lines in the foundation that has allowed China to recover from the economic …
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12 Questions for the Occam Process before buying the farm
The Occam Process is touted to be environmentally compliant or, friendly. However, the process uses photolithography and copper plating procedures. Aren’t these processes quite ‘dirty’? Won’t these processes, which will be new to most potential adopters, be a challenge to implement?
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Just in time (JIT) strategy feels earthquake tremors
When the nuclear facilities were built, the electric company guaranteed its reliability and safety to withstand the strongest earthquake; however, they now have no idea when the plant can resume operation from its nuclear reactors. The power shortage during the hottest summer in Japan is on everyone’s mind.
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Contract manufacturing risk mitigation and risk management
As contract manufacturing business development wins more OEM programs, the risk of the contract manufacturer not being able to recover his investment decreases because similar outsource product manufacturing programs often have similar startup support requirements.
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Direct cost, total cost of ownership, and reducing risk in low cost locations
Countries in low cost regions such as Asia and Eastern Europe may well be better positioned for many high volume manufacturing product needs. Furthermore, in many instances, these geographies may be ideal for offering a stronger ROI when executives are engaged in high-volume production.
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Five things contract manufacturers say they can improve on
Our survey asked electronics contract manufacturers, original design manufacturers, and prototype houses to rank, in order of importance, their top 5 improvement opportunities. Read what they selected.
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