INDUSTRY NEWS
BAE SYSTEMS North America has reached a definitive agreement with Advanced Power Technologies Inc. (APTI) to purchase the corporation for $27 M in cash. APTI, a private company with headquarters in Washington, DC, focuses on intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance exploitation and information processing for defense, civil and commercial uses.
Elcoteq announced the acquisition of NPRC Inc. NPRC, newly named Elcoteq, NPI Dallas, is known for its customer focus and high quality new product introduction (NPI) services for communications technology manufacturers. Acquisition of NPRC initiates the implementation of Elcoteq's strategy of locating NPI services close to customers. The parties have agreed not to disclose the transaction price.
NetVendor and Teradyne announced that the two companies have completed the sale of Teradyne's manufacturing software group to NetVendor Inc. The two groups, both located in the metro Atlanta area, have merged to become Visiprise Inc. The new corporation will focus on developing, marketing and selling software solutions for discrete manufacturers, including manufacturing execution systems software, quality management software and new product introduction software. The Alpharetta, GA-based facilities that have served Teradyne MSG have become the new corporate headquarters of Visiprise.
The Micromanipulator Co. announced that it has acquired the FA-2000 Emission Microscopy line from Alpha Innotech . Both companies are working close together to insure a seamless transition to ensure that orders are delivered on time and existing FA-2000 customers are supported.
NEC Electronics Corp. and its subsidiaries in the US and Europe, NEC Electronics America Inc. and NEC Electronics GmbH, announced that it has signed an agreement with Global Catalyst Partners (GCP) to introduce NEC Electronics' Instant Silicon Solution Platform™ technology to companies developing innovative next-generation products. Under terms of the agreement, NEC Electronics has invested with Global Catalyst Partners to promote the ISSP products to GCP's portfolio companies as a cost-effective silicon solution that enables high performance and fast design turnaround times.
Aeroflex Inc. announced that it has signed exclusive technology license and master distribution agreements with Celerity Systems Inc. , a wholly owned subsidiary of L-3 Communications, for the development and sale of test and measurement products. Aeroflex and L-3 Celerity will be jointly targeting the aerospace/defense and broadband test and measurement, wireless communications and signal processing and analysis markets.
Richardson Electronics announced it has signed a distribution agreement with iTerra Communications LLC . Under the terms of the agreement, Richardson will operate as the sole distributor in North America and Europe for iTerra's complete line of high performance fiber optic systems products, including its 40 GHz GaAs ICs.
Cougar Components Corp. announced the company has signed a Product Alliance Agreement with Marki Microwave Inc . Under the contract, Cougar adds to its current component capabilities of amplifiers, attenuators, limiters, lower frequency mixers and voltage controlled oscillators, by offering high performance aerospace and defense customers a full line of microwave mixers. Cougar has developed sophisticated mixer test software to measure all mixer parameters including rapid testing of harmonic intermodulation products as required for critical applications. Cougar will manage the complete manufacture of Marki designs within ruggedized, hermetic packaging configurations, including screening the mixers to MIL-M-28837, as required.
Equinox RF Equipment announced the completion of a Value Added Reseller Agreement with REMEC Inc . Under the terms of the agreement, Equinox RF Equipment will sell REMEC's antennas for wireless technology applications. This agreement will expand the product lines of both companies.
CMC Electronics Inc. and its subsidiary, NovAtel Inc. , announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) pertaining to NovAtel's acquisition of CMC Electronics' Global Positioning System (GPS) Original Equipment Manufacturer product line. CMC Electronics' GPS OEM product line consists of three GPS engines, which use the L1 frequency band, known as the Superstar I, the Superstar II and the Allstar.
Etenna Corp. and Intel® are collaborating to create an antenna solution for high performance wireless-enabled notebook computers. Original equipment manufacturers and original design manufacturers can use this reference design to directly address co-existence and incorporate 802.11a/b and Bluetooth™ antennas into its future products.
Tektronix Inc. announced that it will continue its long term investment in China by officially opening the doors to a new manufacturing facility. The facility will be used for expansion in China as the country becomes a large segment of the test and measurement market. The building will initially serve as a primary manufacturing site for the region.
Taconic , Petersburgh, NY, announced that it will begin manufacturing in Cheonan, Korea. This facility will offer the company's full line of PTFE-coated fabric, belting and adhesive backed tape.
Unity Wireless Corp. announced that it has established a full time presence in China, with the opening of an office in Shenzhen.
CTT Inc. announced the opening of the company's 45,000 square foot manufacturing facility located in Sunnyvale, CA. In addition, the company has acquired seven new automated pick-and-place machines and additional manufacturing equipment to be located in the new facility.
M-tron Industries Inc. announced that it would be expanding its operations at their factory in Yankton, SD. The need to expand was driven by significant increases in orders for M-tron's high frequency, low jitter oscillators. The increase was also necessary because of higher-than-expected demand for high performance oscillators from its recent acquisition of the assets of Champion Technologies Inc.
Micro Lambda Wireless Inc. has moved to a larger facility as a result of increased business in new product areas. The new address is 46515 Landing Parkway, Fremont, CA 94538 (510) 770-9221, fax (510) 770-9213 or e-mail: sales@microlamdawireless.com.
VXI Technology has expanded its corporate manufacturing facility due to growth and planned development of new products. The new address is 2031 Main Street, Irvine, CA 92614. This 42,000 square foot facility is centrally located in Irvine, near Orange County John Wayne Airport. Telephone and fax numbers will remain the same.
Jersey Microwave has moved into a new facility located in Hackettstown, NJ. "This move has allowed us to add additional test sets, expand engineering, increase production capabilities and position ourselves for the next several years," sites Tony Landaeta, sales manager of Jersey Microwave. "Aligning ourselves with aggressive leading edge customers has demanded the need for our growth." Jersey Microwave designs, develops and manufactures RF components and subsystems. Jersey Microwave, 432 Sand Shore Road, Unit 7, Hackettstown, NJ 07840 (908) 684-2390.
United Monolithic Semiconductors (UMS) is moving its US operation from Massachusetts to New Jersey. Effective June 1, 2003 the new location is 40G Commerce Way, PO Box 540, Totowa, NJ 07511-0540 (973) 812-2139, fax (973) 812-9043 or e-mail: labasse@us.ums-gaas.com.
Pomona Electronics completed transitioning its manufacturing, administrative operations and public relations activities to Pomona, CA, to its new address in Everett, WA. Any future media inquiries, surveys, notices, or request for information, photos or technical data for its products should be forwarded to its public relations associate: Terry J. LaBrue, APR, Public Relations, Pomona Electronics, PO Box 9090, 250-E, Everett, WA 98206 (425) 446-5070 or e-mail: pressroom@pomonatest.com.
RF Micro Devices Inc. (RFMD) announced its POLARIS™ solution will provide key capabilities to the Intel® PXA800F cellular processor. POLARIS' architecture of selectable channel filters and digital baseband interfaces provides a seamless interface with wireless baseband products. By achieving compatibility of the POLARIS solution with the Intel PXA800F cellular processor, RFMD and Intel will be able to provide handset developers with a complete, highly integrated GSM/GPRS Class 12 solution that minimizes external components and power consumption while maximizing performance.
Texas Instruments Inc. announced that HP has chosen to add TI's proven 802.11b technology to its wireless networking options for commercial PC customers. WLAN connections to the desktop allow enterprises to expand their wireless networks, providing cost-advantages when moving employees' offices or enabling businesses to cost-effectively expand their office space without re-wiring. Future HP commercial PCs will also use TI's 802.11b solution to support the recently announced Cisco Compatible Extensions program for standards-based, Wi-Fi products. With upcoming versions of Cisco Compatible Extensions software, IT managers will be able to offer additional security and infrastructure capabilities, providing an even greater advantage to wireless networks within the enterprise.
SiGe Semiconductor announced that its RangeCharger wireless technology has been integrated into new wireless local area network reference designs from Broadcom Corp . The reference designs combine Broadcom's BCM2051/BCM4301/7 chipset with SiGe Semiconductor's SE2520L power amplifier to provide an ideal three-chip architecture for WLAN systems.
Centurion Wireless Technologies Inc. announced it is celebrating 25 years as a designer and manufacturer of antennas and power products for wireless communications. Founded in 1978 by Gary and Susan Kuck, who saw the need for durable and high performing portable antennas, Centurion has since grown to approximately 1500 employees at five manufacturing facilities and seven design centers around the globe.
StratEdge , a producer of high performance semiconductor packaging solutions, announced that it has received ISO 9001:2000 certification.
Basingstoke, UK-based Link Microtek , a specialist supplier of RF and microwave components and subsystems, has gained BS EN ISO 9001:2000 approval for its company-wide quality management system.
Data Circuit Systems (DCS) announced the successful completion of a three-day ISO 9001:2000 upgrade audit. Subsequently, DCS has been registered to the new ISO 9001/2000 international quality standard by Underwriter's Laboratories.
CONTRACTS
Agilent Technologies Inc. announced that STMicroelectronics , a global provider of semiconductor solutions for microelectronics applications, has selected Agilent's radio frequency design environment (RFDE) as its environment of choice for RF/mixed-signal IC design. STMicroelectronics has begun a phased approach to upgrading their R&D operations to the Agilent and Cadence RFDE-based design flow. The Agilent RFDE simulates critical RF specifications with dramatic speed, accuracy and efficiency.
Modelithics Inc. has secured a contract with Presidio Components Inc. Under the terms of the contract, Modelithics will utilize its proprietary modeling technology to develop substrate-scalable, broadband models for Presidio capacitors that are compatible with multiple electronic design automation software platforms. The substrate-scalable models will enable accurate simulation of Presidio's capacitors on a range of substrate types.
Palomar Technologies announced that Hologic Corp. 's direct radiography division has selected Palomar's 3500-II automatic component assembly machine to automate production of hybrid microelectronics used in its DirectRay radiographic imaging technology. Direct Radiography uses Palomar's 3500-II to automate assembly in two areas: fabricating microelectronic hybrid assemblies for digital medical imaging applications; and populating hybrid microelectronics sub-assemblies onto TFT flat panels for use in X-ray detectors for general radiography and mammography. Both are components of Hologic's DirectRay technology, which uses a direct conversion process to convert X-ray energy into a digital signal that produces a high quality image with no intermediate steps.
ERA Technology has secured a multi-year research contract from the UK's Ministry of Defence (MOD). The contract covers research into new technology to make antennas effectively invisible to radar. The research will build upon existing capability to minimize radar returns from antennas, and help safeguard future generations of British aircraft. It is also anticipated that the research will provide spin-off benefits for a range of other military platforms.
FINANCIAL NEWS
Superconductor Technologies Inc. reports sales of $7 M for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2002, compared to $3.2 M for the same period in 2001. Net loss was $2.9 M (0.09¢/diluted share), compared to a net loss of $5.7 M (0.31¢/diluted share) for the fourth quarter of last year.
REMEC Inc. reports sales of $74.6 M for the fourth quarter ended January 31, 2003, compared to $58.2 M for the same period in 2002. Net loss was $35.8 M (0.70¢/diluted share), compared to a $48.2 M ($1.07/diluted share) for the fourth quarter of last year.
PERSONNEL
ITT Industries Inc. announced that Olivier Duperray has been promoted to the key role of senior vice president and chief operating officer-worldwide for its electronic components segment, which includes its connector and switch businesses. Duperray had been serving as president of its global switch products business.
SiGe Semiconductor appointed Nigel Heather vice president of engineering and acting chief operating offi-cer. Heather will oversee global product marketing, engineering and operations initiatives, based out of its offices near London, UK. Heather brings more than 15 years of experience in multi-site, multi-country engineering management and IC design. He was previously vice president of engineering at ARC International plc, and operations director at Tality Ltd., a subsidiary of Cadence.
Park Electrochemical Corp. announced the appointment of Steven Schaefer to the position of vice president of business development. In his new position, Schaefer will be responsible for developing and implementing the company's strategy for new business ventures. As a priority, Schaefer will focus on developing the company's current and future strategy for China. Schaefer previously served as senior director of product technology for Park and has been employed by the company since January 2001.
Applied Wave Research Inc. (AWR™) announced the addition of Tom Quan to the company's executive staff. Quan, an EDA industry veteran, joined AWR as vice president of marketing and is situated in the company's Silicon Valley office. Quan has over 20 years of experience in technical and marketing roles in the semiconductor and EDA industries.
EPCOS Inc. announced the appointment of Norman Lebel as vice president of sales. In his position, Lebel will direct the EPCOS sales force, including a network of employees and sales representatives throughout the NAFTA region. Lebel has worked at EPCOS for the past 17 years, most recently as area sales manager for the northern region.
Lamina Ceramics announced that David McConaghy has joined the company as vice president of sales. McConaghy will be responsible for expanding Lamina's global sales channel and servicing customers who utilize Lamina's low temperature co-fired ceramic on metal technology. He will be based in Lamina's new manufacturing facility in Westhampton, NJ.
Laird Technologies' R&F products division has hired Ed Macomber as director of business development for its microwave absorber product line. Macomber brings many years of experience in the microwave materials industry at companies such as ARC Technologies and Advanced Absorber Products. He will be located in New Hampshire while supporting business development worldwide but he will mainly concentrate on the East Coast and Central United States. His focus will be to work with the sales force to develop new and existing accounts for microwave absorbers.
Sarnoff Corp., the Princeton-based technology development and innovation services company, recently announced several promotions: Michael Patti of Plainsboro, NJ has been promoted to technology director, Integrated Circuit Systems Technology Center, Rakesh "Teddy" Kumar of Kingston, NJ was promoted to technical director in Vision Technologies, Sridhar Kanamaluru of Downingtown, PA was promoted to technical manager, Microwave Systems, Harprett Sawhney of West Windsor, NJ was promoted to technical manager in Vision Technologies, Keith Hanna of West Windsor, NJ was promoted to technical manager in Vision Technologies.
RLC Electronics Inc. announced the appointment of Terry Owens as sales manager. Owens had previously been a vice president of sales with Microwave Filter Co. and brings with him many years of experience in the RF and microwave industry.
MCE/Metelics Inc. announced that Gary Coonce has been appointed marketing manager for its breadth of products. Prior to joining Metelics, Coonce was a sales representative with Jay Stone Associates where he was responsible for sales of a variety of microwave and RF products in northern California, including Metelics' key sales accounts.
Trilithic welcomes Jim Rawlins to the team as sales manager for the RF and microwave division. Previously with Semflex, Rawlins is a 16-year veteran of the RF and microwave industry, and has held several sales management positions over the years, primarily as vice president of sales, director of sales and sales manager.
REP APPOINTMENTS
MegaPhase LLC has appointed six US manufacturer's sales representatives. XGS Group , Mesa, AZ, will market its products in Arizona, Utah, southern Nevada and New Mexico; Syntek Inc. , Kirkland, WA, will cover Washington, Oregon and Idaho; West Tech Associates , Cedar Rapids, IA, will handle the Midwest and north central US; Precision Technical Products , Fairport, NY, will be responsible for New York state; Contech Marketing Inc. , South Plainfield, NJ, will market products in New Jersey, metro New York, Pennsylvania and Fairfield county Connecticut; and Creative Marketing Associates , Columbia, MD, will cover Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and Washington, DC.
Semflex Inc. announced the appointment of two sales rep organizations. Data Marketing Associates will cover the southwest territories of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana; Lorenz Sales will represent the company in the midwest states of Kansas, Missouri, southern Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Chelton Microwave Corp. and its four operating divisions, Atlantic Microwave , Continental Microwave , Kevlin and Nurad Technologies Inc. , have appointed new representatives to assist in marketing its antenna, radome, microwave components, integrated circuits, waveguide and rotary joint products. Connors Sales will market products in Massachusetts and Connecticut, Saltech/Walker Associates in Washington, DC, Maryland and Virginia, SSI Spectrum Sales Inc. in northern New Jersey and metropolitan New York, MicroLamda LLC in southern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania and Microwave Components in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi.
MI Technologies has selected GenTek Inc. to represent the company's line of RF and microwave test and measurement products to customers in the southeast.
MITEQ Inc. , a supplier of RF and microwave components, has appointed Cain-White and Co. of Los Altos, CA (650) 948-6533 as its sales representative for northern California.
Phase One Microwave Inc. , Rocklin, CA, has appointed Wilhart Associates Inc. , Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, as its representative in Canada to assist in the marketing and sales of Phase One's microwave and millimeter-wave amplifier, frequency multiplier and frequency converter products.
Century Seals Inc. , a manufacturer of glass-to-metal sealed packages in Seaford, DE, announced the appointment of the following rep organizations in the United States: Jay Stone & Associates covering northern California and Nevada; Brennan & Associates covering the states of Florida, Georgia and Alabama; Spiral Sales Associates covering Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and TechSol covering the New England states of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
International Manufacturing Services Inc. (IMS) announced the appointment of Chalman Technologies Inc. as its sales engineering representatives in southern California, Arizona and New Mexico territories.
WEB SITES
Radiall has updated its Web site (www.radiall.com) to provide company and product news, sales and service support. The interactive catalog has been upgraded with the integration of the microwave components in addition to coaxial adapters, connectors and switches, EPX-B and fiber optic connectors. Product descriptions, specifications and drawings are available for the added products. A key feature of the site is that it enables quick searching by part number or keywords, as well as a specification-driven search to find the part number corresponding to the application. This catalog is available in six languages and many other upgrades are planned for the near future.
Osprey Metals has established Web site access to an inventory in the US and Europe of select material compositions and sizes, available for immediate shipment. This is a result of increasing demand for its family of aluminum/silicon (Al/Si) controlled expansion alloys.