Microwave Journal
www.microwavejournal.com/articles/9997-around-the-circuit

Around the Circuit

September 9, 2010

Harry Sidney Rutstein passed away on July 24, 2010. He lived in several cities, on both coasts, and explored hundreds of countries over his 80 years. Rutstein served in the army during the Korean War where he worked in Intelligence. Rutstein was a modern day Marco Polo and is the first person in history to have followed the route of Marco Polo over land and sea from Venice, Italy to Peking, China. He wrote books, articles and produced a film on his travels. Harry was the President of Dorado International Corp. of Seattle, a manufacturer of microwave components with factories in China and Russia. He was a former Vice President and founder of Nurad Inc., a microwave antenna company in Baltimore. Harry started his career as a research associate at the Radiation Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University developing RF and microwave equipment. An author, a brother, a husband, a father, a grandfather, an entrepreneur, an explorer, a philosopher, and an inspiration to many, Harry leaves behind his wife Nancy Rutstein of 30 years, his five children and his two, soon-to-be-three grandsons.

Industry News
Teledyne Technologies Inc., a leader in the design and manufacture of custom electronic components and systems, announced that it has acquired Labtech Microwave, a leader in custom microwave packaging solutions and microwave components, as part of the acquisition of Intelek plc. Labtech Microwave Packaging Group, founded in 1984, and located in Presteigne, UK, specializes in the design and manufacture of innovative low cost custom packaging solutions utilizing low cost organic materials for monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC), multichip module (MCM) and higher level printed circuit board (PCB) applications.

Bird Technologies Group (BTG), a supplier of radio frequency measurement and management technology, has acquired X-COM Systems of Reston, VA. X-COM, founded in 1994, manufactures RF test equipment, deployable RF signal sources, and military digital communications equipment, primarily sold to the US Department of Defense and other government agencies.

Hittite Microwave Corp. announced it has acquired a license from IBM to manufacture and market silicon IC millimeter-wave transceivers developed by IBM. Also covered by the license are certain 57 to 64 GHz IC, package and antenna technology, as well as 71 to 76 GHz and 81 to 86 GHz IC intellectual property. Hittite will apply this advanced high frequency technology to markets that require highly integrated solutions. The company also entered into a Joint Development Agreement with IBM related to millimeter-wave technology. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

ON Semiconductor Corp. and SANYO Electric Co. Ltd. announced the signing of a definitive purchase agreement providing for the acquisition of SANYO Semiconductor Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of SANYO Electric, and other assets related to SANYO Electric's semiconductor business, by ON Semiconductor in a cash and stock transaction with a purchase price of approximately $366 M (¥33.0 B), subject to adjustment pursuant to the terms of the transaction. Based on the most recently completed quarter, SANYO Semiconductor's annualized revenue was approximately $1.2 B and the annualized revenue of the combined entity would be approximately $3.5 B. The acquisition is expected to be completed before the end of 2010.

Cornell Dubilier has acquired the Panasonic electrolytic foil formation facility in Knoxville, TN. Last year this facility produced 10 percent of the world's electrolytic foil with the industry's most modern and efficient equipment.

WiSpry Inc. announced that it is working with IBM to develop MEMS process technology and manufacture its tunable RF product roadmap. This development includes WiSpry's current generation of tunable impedance matching products, slated for production with a major tier-one OEM this fall, as well as future generations of highly integrated products for the entire mobile terminal front-end.

Empower hosted its worldwide rep network at a reception, dinner and "mini-tradeshow" event as part of its commitment to provide timely updates and access to key management in support of business growth objectives. Key leaders from across the company, including executive management, engineering, operations and business development were in attendance at the event and spent the evening discussing opportunities, highlighting key features of products/capabilities on display and answering questions. The event was aimed at educating both established Empower sales reps and those completely new to the company through various presentations and Q&A sessions.

Renaissance Electronics Corp./HXI announced that HXI's E-band Gigalink system has received Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (icasa) operational approval certification to deploy in South Africa. This E-band Radio system is used in wireless backhaul applications.

Diablo Industries Thin Film (DITF) was awarded the Three Star Supplier Excellence Award by Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems for the second straight year. DITF, an ISO9001:2008 certified company, manufactures custom thin film interconnects for the aerospace, defense, communication and medical markets.

Richardson Electronics Ltd. announced it has received the "Top Distributor of the Year" award for 2010 from TriQuint Semiconductor Inc., an RF front-end product manufacturer and foundry services provider. The award recognizes Richardson Electronics' superior overall performance, including support, service, design wins and responsiveness to global customers. Award winners were chosen based on nominations by members of TriQuint's executive sales team and announced at TriQuint's annual sales conference.

TriQuint Semiconductor Inc. announced it has received Samsung's Quarterly Quality Award. TriQuint supplies a variety of innovative radio frequency solutions to Samsung, such as power amplifiers and multi-function integrated modules, for use in Samsung's wireless communication devices for GSM/GPRS, EDGE, WCDMA and HSPA+.

Contracts
Giga-tronics Inc. announced that more than 100 of the company's 8000 series RF Switch Interface Units (RFIU) are being supplied to contract manufacturers in Asia to increase throughput and improve test asset utilization in mobile phone and other wireless device production. This is part of the growing market for high-end mobile phones and other wireless products. The Giga-tronics 8000 series RF Switch Interface Unit was chosen for its reliability and performance. The 8000 series RFIU is produced by Giga-tronics under the ASCOR brand.

Auriga Microwave announced that it has received the contract for Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) award N093-221: Highly Efficient Transmitter for High Peak to Average Power Ratio (PAPR) Waveforms. Under a contract from the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), Auriga will design a compact, highly efficient transmitter for complex waveforms and other waveforms with a high PAPR targeted for Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS).

A new inventory management system developed by TASC Inc. for the US Navy will allow Naval warehousing facilities to automatically count and locate RFID-tagged inventory in real time. The software platform integrates a radio frequency identification (RFID) system with an inventory management system.

Personnel
After a 35 year-long career with Rohde & Schwarz, including seven years on the Executive Board and five years as its Chairman, Michael Vohrer (62) has announced his retirement. An electrical engineer by profession, Vohrer played a key role in the company's success throughout the years. One of his major contributions was achieving market leadership in the field of mobile radio test and measurement when he headed that division. The company's recent entry into the oscilloscope market marks the end of his long and productive career. A proven test and measurement expert, Vohrer mapped out important new paths for Rohde & Schwarz: He launched the R&S CMU200 universal radio communication tester, one of the company's all-time best selling products. He is leaving the company for personal reasons. Manfred Fleischmann recently assumed the role of President and CEO. He joined the company 25 years ago, and has been a member of the Executive Board since 2005. In this capacity he was responsible primarily for production, logistics and materials management. Before that, Fleischmann, who is an engineer by profession, held various management positions in quality assurance.

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced that David E. Root, an Agilent Electronic Measurement Group scientist, has been promoted to the position of Agilent Research Fellow. Most recently, Root was a driving force behind the development of X-parameters and nonlinear vector network analyzer technology. Few members of Agilent's technical staff achieve the level of Agilent Research Fellow. Considerations for selection include: a recognized and sought-after international expert; leadership in next-generation technology that significantly impacts Agilent and its customers; an exemplary record of enduring industry achievement; and a role model, consultant and mentor. The promotion required multiple levels of management review; internal and external letters of recommendation; and final approval by Agilent's Electronic Measurement Group President Ron Nersesian and Agilent's Chief Technology Officer Darlene Solomon.

TotalTemp Technologies Inc. announced the appointment of John Booher as the CTO of its Thermal Platform manufacturing business in San Diego, CA. Booher will be leading development projects and manufacturing quality for TotalTemp. He brings a great deal of experience and specialized skill to the position as he recently worked as Senior Electrical Engineer at Sigma Systems working with their similar product lines for over 20 years. Booher previously worked in systems test at General Dynamics and Convair.

MI Technologies announced the appointment of Fred Purvis to the role of Director of the Customer Support Business Unit. In this role, Purvis will provide leadership in serving MI Technologies' customers with an array of capabilities and products. Purvis's management career includes various assignments in program management and other customer-facing roles in the high-tech industry. He worked at EMS Technologies for nearly 20 years in progressively advanced roles in program management.

Delta Microwave, a supplier of microwave filters and integrated assemblies, announced the appointment of Ronald Desilets as Sales and Marketing Manager. In his new position, Desilets will be responsible for expanding business in the defense, space, and high reliability commercial markets that Delta Microwave serves. Desilets' initial focus will be on expanding Delta Microwave's representatives in the US. Desilets has 30 years experience in the microwave industry. He comes to Delta Microwave from Tecom Industries where he was Sr. Manager of Marketing and Sales.

Rep Appointments
MITEQ Inc. announced the appointment of Telepro Inc. as the company's exclusive sales representative in Canada (excluding British Columbia). Telepro Inc. will represent MITEQ's component division of products that 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. Telepro Inc. can be contacted at (514) 667-7061.

Vaunix Technology Corp., a manufacturer of USB controlled and powered test equipment, has announced that Semi Test Solutions (STS) will be representing the company in the territory of northern California. Semi Test Solutions provides sales representation for companies that manufacture test and measurement equipment, RF and microwave active and passive components, and OEM products for the semiconductor, telecommunications, commercial, industrial, medical, and military electronics markets. Representative Mahesh Hingorani can be contacted via e-mail, Mahesh@semitestsolutions.com, or phone (510) 468-9769. For more information, visit the Semi Test Solutions website at www.semitestsolutions.com.

International Manufacturing Services Inc. (IMS), a manufacturer and supplier of high quality thick film resistors, terminations, attenuators, resistive splitters and couplers, thermal management devices and other RF devices to the electronics industry, announced the appointment of R.D. Associates as its representative for all Canadian provinces excluding British Columbia. R.D. Associates headquarters are located in Toronto, ON, with a smaller satellite office in Montreal, QC. More information is available at www.rdassociates.ca.

BC Systems Inc. announced the appointment of two manufacturer's representatives each responsible for sales of the company's RF and microwave power amplifiers and power supply products in different areas of the US. Aurora-Franklin Marketing LLC is now representing BC Systems in upstate New York (Orange and Putnam counties and those further north). Aurora-Franklin Marketing of Pittsford, NY, was founded in 1987 and serves a wide variety of high-tech manufacturers throughout the East Coast. The company can be reached at (585) 249-1020 or by sending an e-mail to Jim Cowey, Vice President, upstate NY Field Sales, at jcowey@auroragroup.net. Shaw-Newman, Ft. Wayne, IN, is now representing BC Systems Inc. in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and western Pennsylvania. The company can be reached at (260) 637-8128 or by sending an e-mail to Mike Shaw at mike@shaw-newman.com.

Linx Technologies Inc. announced the appointment of Apex Electronics Ltd. as a stocking distributor.