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102 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2021 flexible circuits. The shipping data is provided within three weeks after the month ends and is reported quickly enough to determine busi- ness trends from the global electronic industry. The data is a little convoluted because produc- tion for many manufacturers is from Mainland China, and revenue includes shipments from here. The TPCA also provides quarterly shipping data from 22 publicly traded companies in China (many manufacturers are headquartered in other countries). There are two industry associations in China: The China Printed Circuit Association (CPCA) and the Hong Kong Printed Circuit Association (HKPCA). Data from some manufacturers could be counted twice, and there are a few thousand PCB manufacturers in China that do not report their volume. ZVEI, the PCB industry association in Ger- many provides quarterly market data from the German region that includes Switzerland and Austria. Similar with data collected by the IPC, it is not absolute revenue so the industry results cannot be compared to other regions. The Korea Printed Circuit Association (KPCA) provides an annual report from the industry, so trends are difficult to detect in a timely manner. There is no uniform method of collecting data from our industry. Evaluating numerical market information is difficult for the global market. The World Electronics Circuits Coun- cil (WECC) publishes an annual market report, but the infrequency of its release makes it dif- ficult to see emerging trends. The good news is the global PCB industry is growing! Business continues to shift from the U.S. and Europe to the Far Eastern region and a uniform method of reporting could provide a solid platform to make informed decisions. Recent Headlines 1. JDL (Major display manufacturer in Japan) 12/9 Has demonstrated a new touch panel switch. It works without actual touch. But it has a high resolution by capacitance sensors. JDL will start the production in 2021. 2. AIST (Major R&D organization in Japan) 12/10 Has co-developed a new hCFET (heteroge- neous Complementary-Field Effect Transistor) assuming 2 nm process with TSRI in Taiwan. 3. Tohoku University (Japan) 12/10 Has unveiled new tiny magnetic tunnel junc- tion device with 2.3 nm diameter. It works at 150°C. 4. SCREEN Semiconductor (Major equipment supplier in Japan) 12/11 Has commercialized a new large scale wafer scrabbing machine "SS3300S." The machine is capable of processing 1000 wafers per hour. 5. AGC (Major glass product supplier in Japan) 12/14 Has developed a new glass "WAVETRAP" with shielding capability. A fine metallic mesh sandwiched between glass plates absorbs RF wave effectively. 6. Panasonic (Major electronics company in Japan) 12/15 Has rolled out a new connector series "R35K" for high density flex circuits. Height: 0.6 mm, Width: 1.3 mm. Panasonic expects major appli- cations in wearable devices. 7. NIMS (R&D organization in Japan) 12/15 Has discovered a new trans element base semi- conductor without toxic element for near infra- red ray. The chemical composition is Ca 3 SiO. 8. Xacty (Device manufacturer in Japan) 12/16 Has unveiled a new wearable camera "CX- WE300" for business use. The camera has a reliable correction function against vibrations. There is no uniform method of collecting data from our industry.