40 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
PCB007
News Highlights
well. All of the data required for manufacturing,
testing, and assembly are contained in one file.
WUS Invests in Schweizer;
Acquires 4.5% Stake
Following the exclusive, long-term strategic alli-
ance for the high frequency (HF) segment, WuS
Printed Circuits Co., ltd. and Schweizer electronic
AG agreed on a capital transaction with WuS ac-
quiring 4.5% of Schweizer's shares.
HEI Reports 39% Sales Drop in Q2
HeI, Inc. has announced unaudited financial re-
sults for the second quarter of 2014, which ended
June 28, 2014. Sales in the second quarter of 2014
were $7,940,000, compared to $13,018,000 in
the second quarter of 2013. The company gener-
ated a net loss of ($429,000) in the second quarter
of 2014, compared to a net income of $678,000
in the second quarter of 2013.
Wurth Elektronik Combines Rigid-flex,
Impedance Testing
When calculating the impedances in rigid-flex
printed circuit boards, the rigid and the flexible
area must be considered separately. The cause of
this is the differing signal behavior due to the sur-
rounding materials. Würth elektronik uses a spe-
cial software that calculates everything one step.
MFLEX Completes Restructuring,
Expecting Growth in Q4
"At the mid-point of our guidance range, we expect
to generate breakeven net income, excluding im-
pairment and restructuring. With our improved cost
structure in place, we should see a continued re-
covery in our profitability as we leverage anticipated
stronger sales volume," said reza Meshgin, CeO.
AT&S Posts Positive Q1 Fy 2014/15 Results
The AT&S Group generated revenue of euro 141.3
million in the first three months of the financial
year, which was in line with the previous year's
total (Q1 2013/14 euro 142.5 million). earnings
before interest eBITDA amounted to euro 29.1
million, an increase of 3.6%. Consolidated net in-
come for the first quarter rose by 14.6%.
Viasystems' PCB Segment: Q2 Shows
Improvement
"Second quarter results in our PCB segment reflect
improvement in most of our end markets, both se-
quentially and year-over-year," noted CeO David
M. Sindelar. ‟However, we are still facing incon-
sistent customer project demand for our electro-
mechanical solutions product offerings, which is
included in our assembly segment."
Spirit Circuits to Acquire Teknoflex
Equipment
Sadly, trading conditions and tough competition
have resulted in the demise of one the uK's lon-
gest-established flexible PCB manufacturers. Al-
though confidence in uK manufacturing is grow-
ing, this highlights the challenges being faced by
many businesses that rely on a single product offer-
ing and that do not diversify and embrace trading
with offshore suppliers.
Exception PCB's Neil Day Awarded
CID Certificate
Design Manager neil Day has completed the IPC
CID training course and attained CID certification.
Training was completed at the PIeK International
education Centre in The netherlands under the tu-
torage of rob Walls and is a significant investment
in the design service from exception PCB Solutions.
IPC: N.A. PCB B2B Ratio Returns to
Parity in June
"The PCB book-to-bill ratio has been hovering
around 1.00 since February, which explains the flat
year-to-date sales growth we are seeing," said Sha-
ron Starr, IPC's director of market research. "This
month's growth in orders is a positive sign, how-
ever, and if it continues we can expect to see sales
improve later this year."
Wurth Elektronik Embraces Modern
Data Formats
A new generation of PCB data formats enable a
better exchange of data between CAD and CAM.
The ODB++ and IPC-2581 formats include not only
the graphical information for the individual board
layers, but a lot of important extra information as
40 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2014
