Industry News

TowerJazz announced the closing of the sale of all its holdings in Hua Hong Semiconductor Ltd. (HHSL), the parent company of HHNEC, one of Mainland China's leaders in the field of IC foundry service, in a HHSL share repurchase transaction for $32 M in cash. TowerJazz's holdings consisted of 10 percent of HHSL's shares, valued per GAAP in the amount of $17 M on TowerJazz's balance sheet. TowerJazz received the cash from this transaction and expects to record a gross gain in the third quarter of $15 M as a direct result of this sale, and approximately $8 M of net gain.


CommScope has completed its acquisition of Argus Technologies, a producer of innovative antenna solutions for wireless applications. Argus, headquartered near Sydney, Australia, provides a wide array of high performance, high technology antennas for base stations, stadiums and other wireless applications. The acquisition enables CommScope to broaden its antenna solutions portfolio, deepen its research and development capabilities, strengthen its global market presence and accelerate its growth in the wireless market.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has announced the creation of the MIT/MTL Center for Graphene Devices and Systems (MIT-CG). This interdepartmental center, part of the Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL), brings together MIT researchers and industrial partners to advance the science and engineering of graphene-based technologies. The Center coordinates the work of more than 15 MIT research groups and leverages several existing collaborative efforts in graphene science that exist on campus.

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) has received the 2009-2010 Bosch Supplier Award. ADI received the award for superior service in the electronics category (ASIC and ASSP), in particular for supplying application-specific analog and mixed-signal products designed to meet the rigorous quality and reliability standards of the automotive industry.

OML Inc. is celebrating 20 years in business. Located in the Silicon Valley of CA, the company's solutions empower engineers in R&D and manufacturing to pursue opportunities in emerging applications spanning radio astronomy, communication, imaging, space research and homeland security.

International Manufacturing Services Inc. recently donated a generous quantity of thin film chip resistors to the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.

Contracts

Comtech Telecommunications Corp.'s MD-based subsidiary, Comtech Mobile Datacom Corp., received an initial funded order totaling $4.6 M to support the US Army's Movement Tracking System Program. This order was placed under Comtech's existing $384 M BFT-1 contract and represents the first order released by the Blue Force Tracking Program Office to support the MTS program, which has now been consolidated under its direction. This order provides partial funding for the continued supply of satellite bandwidth, satellite network operations, engineering services and program management support.

API Technologies Corp. announced it has been awarded new contracts valued, in aggregate, at $2.7 M to produce circuit card assemblies for use in counter-explosive equipment under the Joint Counter Radio-Controlled Improvised Explosive Device Electronic Warfare (JCREW) program. API's Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS)/SenDEC division was awarded the order by a major defense electronics systems integrator and will be used by the US Armed Forces at home and abroad.

ASC Signal Corp. has been awarded a multi-million dollar sub-contract by L-3 Narda Satellite Networks, to provide more than 100, 3.9-meter, quad-band, fly-away antenna components and systems. The antenna systems will support high frequency communications over commercial and government satellites. Under this contract, ASC will deliver the largest quantity of Earth station systems for one program since the company's inception.

Wireless Telecom Group Inc. announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Boonton Electronics, has been awarded an increase of $1.5 M to its contract with the US Navy. The total contract is for approximately $3 M and a considerable portion of this contract will be fulfilled over the next 12 months. Boonton's 4500B RF Peak Power Meter will be utilized by the Department of Defense (DoD) Naval Sea Systems Office personnel in shipboard and shore-based laboratories and by other DoD personnel to calibrate Radio Detecting and Ranging test sets, Tactical Navigation test sets, Identification, Friend or Foe (IFF) test sets and Commercial-Off-The-Shelf equipment, such as RF and microwave signal generators.

Skyworks Solutions Inc. announced it is supporting ZTE's ramp of next generation tablets and laptops with EDGE and WCDMA/LTE front-end solutions. Skyworks' modules are powering data cards and USB modems to help deliver greater mobility for tablets that are equipped with cellular connectivity. With these wins, Skyworks is broadening its relationship with ZTE, one of the world's fastest- growing handset OEMs. ZTE already leverages several of Skyworks' TD-SCDMA and CDMA solutions for handsets and will soon utilize Skyworks' antenna switch modules in several forthcoming smart phone platforms.

Custom electronics design firm Stilwell Baker Inc. announced the successful completion of a legacy power supply re-design for Superior Technical Services. The company needed a solution for failing discrete power supplies on Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEM). Stilwell Baker engineers went onsite to characterize the power supply requirements in the various models of SEMs supported by Superior Technical. The team then wrote a detailed specification, designed and built the new power supply.

ORBIT Communication Systems Ltd., a subsidiary of Orbit Technologies Ltd., announced a contract with an Asian Navy for multiple OrBand™ (AL-7107) maritime C-Band VSAT systems. OrBand leverages breakthrough technology to deliver RF performance equivalent to industry-standard systems, in a much smaller footprint. Industry-standard systems feature a 3.8 m (150") radome, while OrBand features a compact 2.7 m (106") radome, requiring substantially less deck space.

New Market ENTRIES

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced that it has increased the company's capability to provide on-site Z540.3 calibration services at locations from Canada to Brazil. In March 2010, the Roseville, CA, service center became the first commercial calibration lab to be accredited by A2LA to ANSI/NSCL Z540.3-2006. Since then, 14 Agilent service centers, many with mobile calibration teams, have all been accredited to Z540.3 by A2LA. These centers now offer Z540.3 calibration service for more than 500 models, up from 230.

Raytheon Co.'s Network Centric Systems has combined its existing security solutions and civil communications businesses as part of a new product line to increase its focus on opportunities in public safety markets. The new product line, Security and Transportation Systems (STS), includes two major public safety focus areas. The first is security solutions, with an emphasis on critical infrastructure protection, including ports and airports, border protection and other needs served by the ClearView™ family of security management systems. The second area is interoperable communications networks and the equipment that allow first responders to communicate with one another in an emergency. The air traffic management business will also be part of STS.

Siklu is now offering its low cost millimeter-wave radio systems in the North American market. Siklu delivers carrier-grade millimetric-wave Gigabit Ethernet radio solutions with unparalleled price-performance value. Offering the industry's lowest total cost of ownership and incorporating on-board networking capabilities, solutions from Siklu are ideally suited for mobile backhaul, Carrier Ethernet business services, enterprise and vertical applications.

Personnel

Anatech Electronics appointed Dean Handrinos as Director of US Sales, with the responsibilities of developing new business and managing of the company's sales activities throughout the country. Handrinos comes to Anatech from Stealth Microwave (a division of Micronetics), where he was Vice President. Handrinos received his bachelor's degree in engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology and is working toward his MBA degree from Lehigh University.

Giga-tronics Inc. announced that Mark Elo has joined the company as Vice President of Marketing. Elo comes to Giga-tronics with more than 20 years of test and measurement experience in RF and microwave instrumentation. He has held various positions at Hewlett-Packard, Agilent Technologies and Keithley Instruments – including Product Marketing Manager, Marketing Director and Business Development Director – as well as a number of R&D management roles. Giga-tronics also announced that Malcolm Levy will retain his responsibilities for managing the company's worldwide sales and business development activities and will continue as an Officer of the company. He will assume the position of Executive Vice President of Sales.

IEE has appointed Thomas Whinfrey as President and CEO. Whinfrey brings more than 25 years of experience in managing operations and strategies for a number of large companies throughout the military and aerospace industries. This experience, coupled with his track record of visionary leadership, lays the foundation for successful partnerships with IEE's growing customer base.

M/A-COM Technology Solutions recently announced two promotions. Vincent Pellicia was named Senior Director of Asia Pacific Sales. Pelliccia most recently served as M/A-COM Tech's Director of Sales Operations and Business Development. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Sales at Mimix Broadband Inc., which was acquired by M/A-COM Tech in May 2010. Pelliccia worked at M/A-COM Inc. for 11 years as a Product Group Manager prior to joining Mimix Broadband. Pelliccia received a B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering from the University of South Florida. James Dempsey has been promoted to the position of Director of Global Distribution. He most recently served as Deputy Director of Distribution at M/A-COM, and previously held leadership roles at Skyworks Solutions Inc., Alpha Industries and Herley Micro-Dynamics. Dempsey received a B.S. in electrical engineering from Wentworth Institute of Technology, while also earning a certificate from the MIT Sloan School of Management in the Greater Boston Executive Business Program.

Modelithics Inc. announced the addition of John Fisher, as member of the Modelithics management team, as Vice President of Operations. Fisher has more than 29 years of engineering and management experience, including previous roles as Director of Engineering and VP of Sales and Marketing. Fisher earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Central Florida, along with a master's degree in electrical engineering and a MBA from the University of South Florida.

Nujira has appointed Patrick McNamee to the newly created post of VP of Silicon Operations with overall responsibility for taking its Envelope Tracking ICs from design completion to volume production. He has more than 25 years experience in the semiconductor industry, including 15 years senior management experience with fabless semiconductor companies, such as Powervation, Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) and Dialog Semiconductor. He joins the company from EoSemi, a UK based start-up with novel intellectual property in the field of silicon timers. Earlier in his career, he held test and product development positions at the senior engineer level with National Semiconductor and GEC Plessey.

Rep Appointments

MITEQ Inc. announced the appointment of Omarim Technologies Ltd. as the company's exclusive sales representative in Israel and EMCO Elektronik GmbH as the company's exclusive sales representative in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Omarim and EMCO will represent MITEQ's component division of products, which includes amplifiers, mixers, frequency multipliers, passive power components, switches, attenuators, limiters, phase shifters, IF signal processing components, oscillators, synthesizers, integrated multifunction assemblies and fiber optic products. Omarim Technologies Ltd. can be contacted at 011-972-9-763-1000. EMCO Elektronik GmbH can be contacted at 011-49-89-895-5650.

SV Microwave announced the signing of Mouser Electronics as its newest authorized distributor. Mouser Electronics is one of the industry's fastest-growing global catalog and online semiconductor and electronic component distributors.

Valpey Fisher Corp. and Precise Time and Frequency Inc. (PTF) jointly announced an agreement in which PTF products will be sold and distributed worldwide by Valpey Fisher – expanding its line of high performance integrated products for timing and frequency control. A privately held company, Precise Time and Frequency Inc. will continue to be active in the design, engineering and manufacture of its frequency, time, GPS and switch products. New products will continue to be developed with input from new and existing customers. Through this agreement, Valpey Fisher will productize the line of PTF products and market them under the Valpey Fisher brand. Products will be sold and distributed through the direct and indirect global sales channels of Valpey Fisher.

Website

Versatile Power Inc. a technology leader in the design and manufacture of custom electronic subsystems, announced its new, expanded website: www.versatilepower.com. The new website provides ease of use for visitors wanting to learn about the company's broad offerings of custom design and manufacturing services for medical, semiconductor, ultrasonic, lighting, government lab, aerospace, military and industrial applications.