<?xml version="1.0" ?><rss version="0.91"><channel><title>Articles from New Venture Research</title><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com</link><description>Articles from New Venture Research</description><copyright>New Venture Research</copyright><managingEditor>webmaster@newventureresearch.com</managingEditor><pubDate>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:44:27 GMT</pubDate><lastBuildDate>Tue, 07 Sep 2010 08:44:27 GMT</lastBuildDate><item><title>A Good Place to Place Your Bets (in ICs)</title><description><![CDATA[The semiconductor industry took a beating in early 2009, but sprang back sooner than many industries to end in better shape than initially anticipated at the beginning of the year.  We as a people love our gadgets.  Small, handheld devices which keep us connected all the time sold well even in the depths of the great recession of 2009.  Items priced under $300  $400 still sold.

  Netbooks and smart phones were all the rage.  PCs shrank to the smaller, more portable notebooks, which reduced even further to the netbook.  E-readers and other handheld consumer items are gaining market acceptance.
Going into the future, what would be good markets for a semiconductor company to be in?  Areas that offer one of more of the following:

	High volumes of the final product
	High or reasonable growth potential
	High volumes of ICs going into each individual product

 ICs that fit within those categories are many.  These include:
	MPUs
	Standard cell / PLD
	DRAM
	Flash
	Analog  communications
	Analog  voltage regulators
	Special purpose logic chips of all types, including consumer, computer, communications, and automotive

Package Solutions

With so many products being wireless, baseband products will continue to be in demand.  They are being included in stacked package options in increasing numbers, in PoP solutions. Memory, also included in this list, are also being placed in stacked package solutions in high numbers.  Even PLDs are going to be found in stacked solutions, becoming a stack solution with other PLDs.  And logic devices have been included in PoP solutions from the inception of package-on-package solutions, as the introduction of a device in a stack so dissimilar to memory was going to require testing separately from the memory devices, thus the invention of the PoP solution.

TSVs of course are all the rage that many companies are reviewing and this new method of interconnection will fit within the stacked package model nicely.
Most stacked package options are fitting within the FBGA outline, although QFN options are gaining acceptance.  

QFN as a package solution have been gaining in popularity for some time, extremely popular for analog and simple logic chips, for which there are many.  Coming onto the market is a new twist for this package solution, and that is to have inner leads on the leadframe to create a perimeter array pattern on the leads, thus allowing this package solution to reach into high I/O counts.
The same goes for WLPs, giving the package a new twist to reach into higher I/O counts by creating the overmold WLP, in which the backside is coated with overmold to create a larger surface on the face in which to place the electrical traces.

Not that there is a shortage of a need for packages in the low I/O ranges.  Indeed, most analog and simple logic chips are of low I/O, and they are plentiful.  SO and SOT solutions are still in demand, especially for voltage regulators, which are in all electronic devices.

What is being conveyed here is that both old and newer forms of packages are in demand, and new twists are giving new life to existing package solutions.  Being diversified is a safe bet.

By Sandra Winkler, New Venture Research slwinkler@newventureresearch.com; www.newventureresearch.com]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=44</link></item><item><title>New Report on IC Packaging, Released June 8, 2010</title><description><![CDATA[The semiconductor industry has been cyclical since its inception, but the general trend for the industry is upwards.  The newly released report, The Worldwide IC Packaging Market, 2010 Edition, offers an in-depth look at the worldwide integrated circuit (IC) packaging market.  The forecasts of individual IC device markets are provided, for units, revenue, and ASP, from 2008 through 2014.  The package solutions for each of these markets are then forecast, broken down into I/O ranges.  In a separate chapter, the package types are rolled up to deliver an overall worldwide forecast of IC packages, divided into 12 different package families, plus bare die solutions.  The major package families include:

   Dual in-line package (DIP)
	Small outline transistor (SOT)
	Small outline (SO)
	Thin small outline package (TSOP)
	Dual flat pack no lead (DFN)
	Chip carrier (CC)
	Quad flat pack (QFP)
	Quad flat pack no lead (QFN)
	Pin grid array (PGA)
	Ball grid array (BGA)
	Fine-pitched ball grid array (FBGA)
	Wafer-level package (WLP)

Additionally, unit forecasts for die mounted using direct chip attach (DCA) methods were developed. DCA methods include chip on board (COB), flip chip on board (FCOB), chip on glass (COG), flip chip on glass (FCOG), and tape automated bonding (TAB)/tape carrier package (TCP). 

Packaging revenue is generated by multiplying worldwide units with pricing information supplied by the contractor IC package assemblers.
The contract IC packaging market is forecast and supplied in a separate chapter. Units and revenue are analyzed by package family. Forecasts are computed by compiling information obtained from each individual contract assembly company. Pricing information is provided by I/O count and price per I/O, and when multiplied by units, yields revenue. Profiles of individual contract IC package assemblers are also provided, as is a chapter on the state of the industry.  

The purpose of the report is to aid companies associated with the IC packaging market in forecasting demand for their own products. The IC packaging market is evolving to keep pace with other changing markets. IC packaging demand is affected by changes in the die contained in the packages, and by performance expectations of the final product purchased at the consumer level. Through extensive primary and secondary research, this report presents an objective look at the world of IC packaging.

For more information, see www.newventureresearch.com, or contact Karen Williams, at kwilliams@newventureresearch.com.
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=45</link></item><item><title>The State of the Semiconductor Industry</title><description><![CDATA[The Great Recession which began in the fourth quarter of 2008, at the height of the holiday spending season, had an enormous effect on world economies in 2009.  The bursting of the bubble housing market in the U.S. resulted in the meltdown of financial institutions around the world.
 
Electronic Trend Publications (ETP, now New Venture Research) predicted 2009 to be a year in which the industry would dovetail a bit due to the normal cycles in the industry, but the depth of the downturn in world economies was certainly not predicted. ETP had also predicted a downturn in 2001 also due to normal industry cycles, but again had not predicted the depth of its downward slide, as the bursting of the dot com industry had not been predicted, which also came about when a normal softening due to industry cycles was expected.

However, the semiconductor industry fared better than many industries this time around, with the industry pulling back up in the second half of 2009.  Why did the recovery in this industry come about so quickly in comparison to the downturn in 2001?  The following table compares the two downturns:

Year	2001	2009
Revenue($M)	118,490	190,341
 Rev Change	-33.0%	-8.8%
Units (M)	68,550	144,630
Unit Change	-20.8%	-6.9%
ASP ($)	1.73	1.32
ASP Change	-15.5%	-2.1%

First of all, what can be seen was that between the two downturns, the industry did come back up, with both revenue and units considerably higher in 2009 when compared with 2001, but ASPs are lower.

But the turnaround for the semiconductor industry came back up considerably faster in the 2009/2008 downturn than in the 2000/2001 downturn.  Why?

Inventories
Inventories were considerably higher in 2000 than in 2008.  Prior to the downturn at the end of 2000 there had been a massive build-up of inventories of lesser-priced parts, to ensure that these lesser-priced parts didnt slow down the assembly of completed printed circuit boards (PCBs).  These parts had to be burned off or discarded due to obsolescence before new purchases would be made.  Inventories have been leaner since, so there were no inventories to be burned off in 2009 before new purchases of semiconductors would take place.

Consumer Spending
Consumer spending turned downwards in 2009, as many people in all industries found themselves unemployed.  Even for those who kept their jobs, uncertainty in continued employment kept wallets from freely opening. 
 
To combat this, all leading world governments put forth stimulus packages to step up consumer spending.  In the U.S., the cash for clunkers program turned up demand for automobiles, although spending in this area dropped off after the program ended.  But it did get the money to start flowing again, and U.S. consumer spending rose twice as fast as income in March of 2010. 

While the downturn reduced spending on larger computer products, the invention and sale of smaller, less expensive computers such as netbooks and notebooks did well.  Tablets such as e-readers and the iPad have become instant successes, due to their low price.  Products under only a few hundred dollars seem to do well, even in a downturn.
  
Further Influences
Fluctuating oil prices and the value of the Euro are need to watch items.  The higher the price of oil results in higher prices for all goods that require transportation by a gasoline-driven machine, plus more money is spent at the pump.  This results in less monies left over for other items, such as computers, televisions, and other luxury consumer items.  The economies of Spain and Greece are threatening the stability of the Euro, and Greece was recently bailed out by European partners.  The net effects of these on global spending and economic health are yet to be seen.

Unemployment rates remain high, but with new inventions and new employment opportunities, more people will enter or re-enter the work force, boosting spending on products that undoubtedly will contain semiconductors.  Indeed, semiconductors are prevalent in products sold around the world, touching the lives of even remote peoples on this planet.  Even indigenous people living in rainforests now are being visited by people bringing them the Internet so that they can view the rest of the world and how they fit into the larger picture.
The explosion of products demanded in every day lives is actually quite impressive.  One generation ago a home with a single television was the norm, and automobiles quite simple with engines with catalytic converters and a radio with both AM and FM stations a luxury.  Todays automobiles are laden with ICs, and incorporate creature comforts and safety features not heard of a generation ago.  

Seems like nearly everyone carries around at least a cell phone with them at all times, and smart phones are growing faster in popularity than dumb phones. Nearly every home also has not only at least one television set, but a minimum of one PC as well, and likely one PC per family member!  Digital cameras are quickly replacing film cameras, and to get the best in print quality of those pictures, an upgraded printer is necessary as well.  Indeed, the demand for ICs (integrated circuits) has continued to climb upwards, despite the occasional downturn which always seems to give way to an upturn.  With world economies continuing to gain steam, so will the IC industry continue to gain momentum, for an even brighter future in the years ahead.
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=43</link></item><item><title>NVR Forecasts IC Outlook for 2010</title><description><![CDATA[IC revenue will grow at 18.8% in 2010, with unit growth at 18%, according to New Venture Research (formerly Electronic Trend Publications).  This is considerably better than the 8.8% decline in revenue and 6.9% decline in units in 2009. 
 
According to Sandra Winkler, Senior Industry Analyst at NVR, DRAMs are anticipated to be the largest growth area for ICs, with 40% revenue growth in 2010.  Numerous analog chips, including regulators & references, computer, communications, automotive, and industrial applications; special purpose logic chips including consumer, computer, communications, and automotive; flash, EEPROM, 32-bit MCU, and standard cell and PLD chips will all see revenue growth rates in excess of 15%.

Low interest rates, low oil prices, and the stimulus packages that were instituted around the world are all contributing to a stabilizing economy and upturn.  Purchases were less than the replacement market in 2009, and pent up demand is pulling the market in a positive direction. 
 
Cell phones, particularly the high-end smart phones, will see high growth rates.  Smart phones are gaining in popularity and are becoming a larger piece of the cell phone pie.  Anything handheld and somewhat affordable that keeps us connected to the rest of the world seems to be doing well.  New product introductions such as Apples iPhone is becoming a hot topic, the iPad is expected to do well, and the Blackberry by Research in Motion (RIM) has been doing well for some time.
  
Netbook computers, with prices as low as $200 during holiday sales, and notebook computers are driving up IC demand.  Other high growth areas include 3D and digital TVs, DSL/ cable modems, flash drives, memory cards, set top boxes, digital cameras, automotive, and an assortment of audio applications.  
The economy is stabilizing, which is easing fears of spending on consumer goods.  The housing market, which took down the economy by taking the credit markets down with it, is stabilizing, and the ratio of income to housing expenditure is more balanced than it was previously.  The automotive market, which is host for numerous ICs, had fallen substantially during the downturn.  This market did benefit from the cash-for-clunkers program, although automotive sales fell back after the program ended.  But it became a booster to spending, which helped.  And automotive is expected to turn up in 2010 and beyond, particularly in areas such as China.  Overall, spending is higher now than it was in the depths of 2009.  And that is what is pulling up and out of the sloth of 2009, and will carry us to a more positive future.

NVR (www.newventureresearch.com) is a global provider of business intelligence, growth management and advisory services to companies in the information technology, telecommunications, consumer, scientific instrumentation and advanced electronics markets.  NVR assists companies in their decision making by providing timely market and strategic information. Its goal is to help its clients achieve their key business objectives by offering a range of primary and secondary research capabilities that give guidance on new products and emerging businesses.  
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=42</link></item><item><title>The Worldwide IC Packaging Market - 2010 Edition</title><description><![CDATA[The semiconductor industry has been cyclical since its inception, but the general trend for the industry is upwards.  The newly released report, The Worldwide IC Packaging Market, 2010 Edition, offers an in-depth look at the worldwide integrated circuit (IC) packaging market.  The forecasts of individual IC device markets are provided, for units, revenue, and ASP, from 2008 through 2014.  The package solutions for each of these markets are then forecast, broken down into I/O ranges.  In a separate chapter, the package types are rolled up to deliver an overall worldwide forecast of IC packages, divided into 12 different package families, plus bare die solutions.  The major package families include:

   Dual in-line package (DIP)
	Small outline transistor (SOT)
	Small outline (SO)
	Thin small outline package (TSOP)
	Dual flat pack no lead (DFN)
	Chip carrier (CC)
	Quad flat pack (QFP)
	Quad flat pack no lead (QFN)
	Pin grid array (PGA)
	Ball grid array (BGA)
	Fine-pitched ball grid array (FBGA)
	Wafer-level package (WLP)

Additionally, unit forecasts for die mounted using direct chip attach (DCA) methods were developed. DCA methods include chip on board (COB), flip chip on board (FCOB), chip on glass (COG), flip chip on glass (FCOG), and tape automated bonding (TAB)/tape carrier package (TCP). 
Packaging revenue is generated by multiplying worldwide units with pricing information supplied by the contractor IC package assemblers.
The contract IC packaging market is forecast and supplied in a separate chapter. Units and revenue are analyzed by package family. Forecasts are computed by compiling information obtained from each individual contract assembly company. Pricing information is provided by I/O count and price per I/O, and when multiplied by units, yields revenue. Profiles of individual contract IC package assemblers are also provided, as is a chapter on the state of the industry.  

The purpose of the report is to aid companies associated with the IC packaging market in forecasting demand for their own products. The IC packaging market is evolving to keep pace with other changing markets. IC packaging demand is affected by changes in the die contained in the packages, and by performance expectations of the final product purchased at the consumer level. Through extensive primary and secondary research, this report presents an objective look at the world of IC packaging.

For more information, see www.newventureresearch.com, or contact Karen Williams at kwilliams@newventureresearch.com.
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=41</link></item><item><title>The Worldwide Electronic Manufacturing Services Market - 2010 Edition</title><description><![CDATA[The worldwide EMS industry growth rate declined approximately -8.3 percent in 2009, yet growth has already returned in 2010 if the first quarter results are indicative. Contract manufacturers experienced the strongest decline in revenue of almost -15 percent while ODMs actually experience revenue growth of 5.6 percent.  Similarly, CMs lost money in 2009 (lead mainly by Flextronics who lost over $6 billion) while ODMs collectively made over $2 billion.  It seems as though the business strategy of focusing on high volume, low mix products such as PCs, motherboards and notebooks allowed ODMs to survive the downturn whereas CMs saw a dramatic decline in orders in the capital equipment (semiconductor), automotive and mobile phone equipment markets.  In the coming years, ODMs should fare better than CMs, although only slightly, as ODMs have the ability to maintain stronger profit margins as a result of their branded products. Figure 1 presents the summary forecast for the worldwide revenue growth of the EMS market from 2009 to 2014.

Figure 1  
The Worldwide EMS Market, 20092014

Revenue $(B)	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	CAGR
CM	        169.6 	192.2 	213.2 	239.0   268.8 	299.0 	12.0%
ODM	        100.1 	111.4 	124.4 	140.0   159.0 	180.0 	12.4%
Total EMS	269.7 	303.6 	337.7 	378.9 	427.7 	479.0 	12.2%

The worldwide EMS market is driven by the worldwide electronics assembly market of which it is a subsegment.  Table 2 presents the worldwide electronics assembly forecast for 20092014 by market segment. The overall market for electronic components (semiconductors, passives, connectors, etc.) is projected to recover in 2010 throughout the forecast period as a result of an economic recovery in demand for electronics manufactured products. NVR expects overall market growth to resume good growth over the next five years, barring another unexpected downturn.

Consumer, communications, and computer products will continue to be the leading segments driving the largest growth of the electronics industry. In 2014, the total industry is expected to exceed $1.4 trillion in annual assembly value (COGS), as consumption and replacement of electronic products continues and new products fuel demand. Outsourcing has become a critical element in keeping the electronics assembly industry expanding and driving costs to the margin each yeara leading attribute in stimulating continuous consumer demand. The trend to move price-sensitive manufacturing to low-cost regions will impact the manufacturing footprint in the future market for all suppliers.

Table 2  
The Worldwide Market for Electronics Assembly, 20092014

Total Assembly ($B)	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	CAGR
Communications	        197.0 	213.4 	235.2 	259.2   280.0 	301.3 	8.9%
Computer	        265.6 	293.2 	322.2 	356.0 	385.5 	417.7 	9.5%
Consumer	        225.5 	250.5 	283.6 	315.0 	344.5 	371.0 	10.5%
Industrial/Medical	93.4 	100.0 	109.7 	120.5 	129.4 	139.4 	8.4%
Transportation	        109.8 	118.7 	130.5 	142.9 	152.5 	165.0 	8.5%
Total	                891.3 	975.9   1081.2 	1193.5 	1291.9 	1394.5 	9.4%

Table 3 compares the worldwide EMS market by region for 2009 and 2014. The shift in production to low-cost regions is starting to wane. Today, we are seeing OEM customers requiring their EMS partners to manufacture products near the regions where they are to be sold. For certain high-volume products like mobile phones and PCs, OEMs need to leverage the lowest cost in manufacturing. However, for other products the labor cost differentials are becoming less significant when weighed against the total cost of production (including transportation and logistical challenges). Offshore product migration will still take place, according to NVRs forecasts, but it will be at a more moderate pace.
 
Table 3  
The Worldwide EMS Market by Region ($B), 2009 vs. 2014

EMS by Region	2009		2014
Americas	47.5 		84.4
EMEA	        38.1 		66.7
APAC	       184.1 		327.7
Total          269.7            478.9

Both CMs and ODMs will experience the strongest growth from production in the consumer, communications, and medical equipment markets. Specifically, CMs will find very strong growth in personal navigation, digital television, and cellular infrastructure, while ODMs are projected to experience very strong growth in enterprise storage systems, personal navigation systems, and set-top boxes. In general, CMs will tend to excel in the technology-intensive product areas and complex board assemblies. ODMs excel in manufacturing commodity/high-volume products such as motherboards, monitors, handhelds, and consumer electronics.  Table 4 compares the worldwide EMS market by market segment for 2009 and 2014.

Table 4  
The Worldwide EMS Market by Industry Segment ($B), 2009 vs. 2014

EMS ($M)	2009		2014
Automotive	5.8 		9.0 
Communications	67.3 		121.8 
Computer	104.5 		189.1 
Consumer	54.2 		96.6 
Industrial 	14.9 		22.7 
Medical	        13.4 		26.2 
Comm. Aviation	3.8 		5.4 
Defense/Other	5.7 		8.0 
Total           269.7           478.9

Foxconn continued its extraordinary dominance as the leading CM in the industry, outdistancing its closest contender by almost 2.5 times. Flextronics remained steadfastly in the number-two position as did Jabil Circuit, Celestica and Sanmina-SCI in subsequent positions.  Table 5 ranks the top ten overall EMS companies by revenue for 2009.

Table 5  
Top Ten EMS Market Share ($B), 2009


Company 	EMS Rev. ($M)	Mkt Share (%)

Foxconn (Hon Hai)	59.3 	22.0%
Flextronics	        23.8 	8.8%
Wistron	                17.1 	6.3%
Jabil Circuit	        11.0 	4.1%
Quanta Computer	         8.7 	3.2%
TPV Technology	         8.0 	3.0%
Compal Electronics	 6.9 	2.5%
Pegatron	         6.7 	2.5%
Celestica	         6.1 	2.3%
Sanmina-SCI	         5.2 	1.9%
		
Total	               152.7 	56.6%

Although a simple ranking of EMS companies by revenue is informative, there are many other meaningful financial measures of EMS performance. These are covered in detail in our annual report, The Worldwide Electronic Manufacturing Services Market, 2010 Edition.  To summarize these measures, the report uses a total performance rating based on a weighting of these other measures. The EMS companies having the highest total scores were deemed the best performing companies in the EMS industry; conversely, those companies having the lowest total scores were viewed as the worst performing EMS companies for 2009. Table 6 lists the five highest rated companies in the EMS industry in 2009.  

Table 6  
Highest Rated Large EMS Companies in 2009

Company 	Total Rating
Delta 	        10.8 
Quanta 	         7.5 
Wistron 	 7.5 
Hana Micro 	 7.3 
Pegatron 	 6.1 

In 2009, Delta emerged as the winning EMS company with the highest total score by quite a wide margin for the second year in a row according to NVRs financial performance metrics. Quanta moved into second place ahead of Wistron who ranked third this year Hana Microelectronics ranked fourth.  Pegatron (ASUSTeK), Alco and HTC also ranked strongly.  Note that all of these high performing EMS companies were Asian.  
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=38</link></item><item><title>New Report on IC Packaging, Released June 8, 2010</title><description><![CDATA[The semiconductor industry has been cyclical since its inception, but the general trend for the industry is upwards.  The newly released report, The Worldwide IC Packaging Market, 2010 Edition, offers an in-depth look at the worldwide integrated circuit (IC) packaging market.  The forecasts of individual IC device markets are provided, for units, revenue, and ASP, from 2008 through 2014.  The package solutions for each of these markets are then forecast, broken down into I/O ranges.  In a separate chapter, the package types are rolled up to deliver an overall worldwide forecast of IC packages, divided into 12 different package families, plus bare die solutions.  The major package families include:

   Dual in-line package (DIP)
	Small outline transistor (SOT)
	Small outline (SO)
	Thin small outline package (TSOP)
	Dual flat pack no lead (DFN)
	Chip carrier (CC)
	Quad flat pack (QFP)
	Quad flat pack no lead (QFN)
	Pin grid array (PGA)
	Ball grid array (BGA)
	Fine-pitched ball grid array (FBGA)
	Wafer-level package (WLP)

Additionally, unit forecasts for die mounted using direct chip attach (DCA) methods were developed. DCA methods include chip on board (COB), flip chip on board (FCOB), chip on glass (COG), flip chip on glass (FCOG), and tape automated bonding (TAB)/tape carrier package (TCP). 
Packaging revenue is generated by multiplying worldwide units with pricing information supplied by the contractor IC package assemblers.
The contract IC packaging market is forecast and supplied in a separate chapter. Units and revenue are analyzed by package family. Forecasts are computed by compiling information obtained from each individual contract assembly company. Pricing information is provided by I/O count and price per I/O, and when multiplied by units, yields revenue. Profiles of individual contract IC package assemblers are also provided, as is a chapter on the state of the industry.  

The purpose of the report is to aid companies associated with the IC packaging market in forecasting demand for their own products. The IC packaging market is evolving to keep pace with other changing markets. IC packaging demand is affected by changes in the die contained in the packages, and by performance expectations of the final product purchased at the consumer level. Through extensive primary and secondary research, this report presents an objective look at the world of IC packaging.

For more information, see www.newventureresearch.com, or contact Karen Williams Williams, at kwilliams@newventureresearch.com.
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=39</link></item><item><title>NVR Examines Best Practices in the EMS Industry</title><description><![CDATA[In highly competitive industries such as EMS, people often want to know what business practices ensure ongoing success. Given that we have tracked this market for more than 15 years through industry surveys and field research, we set out to measure the most successful companies and determine if there were any themes that stood out to differentiate those highly successful EMS companies when compared to average ones. 

Depending on how one defines success, it turns out that there are certain business practices that work time and again.  We define success as a company that grows sequentially, maintains a healthy profit margin (this would be 15 percent top line growth with EBITDA margins of 10+ percent) and maintains unusual customer loyalty.  

We are happy to present several successful companies in the EMS industry that have achieved high levels of growth, profitability and customer satisfaction. The EMS companies profiled have demonstrated superior performance on an ongoing basis and reside in the small-to-mid-tier market sectors. They include Creation Technologies, EPIC Technologies, EN ElectronicNetwork, Morey Corp., NexLogic and Zollner. These EMS companies stand out as leaders in our Best Practices Survey and have articulated  important concepts that have been critical to their success over the years.
	

Creation Technologies

Based in Vancouver, BC, Canada, Creation Technologies has one of the best performance records of any contract manufacturer around in the sense that the company has been continuously profitable since 1991. Its 2008 revenues reached $385 million through its 10 operations in North American and one in Changzhou, China. While other companies have struggled with multiple downturns, Creation has continued to expand its top and bottom line revenues each year through organic growth and by acquisition. Creation has successfully acquired and merged 7 EMS providers since 2003 giving it a broad manufacturing footprint to support and grow its customer base. When asked how the company has been so successful, President and CEO Arthur Tymos points to four keys:

The first key to success is our customer-focused people and solutions and the long-term, loyal relationships this results in. The second key is our people and our culture.  Our culture is amazing and is a true differentiator. Approximately 540 of our 2,300 employees are owners in the company. The third key to success is our focus on Lean Thinking In Action through every facet of the company. And fourth, our financial stability. We believe we are an industry leader in each of these areas.

And, Creations customers would agree.  The company surveys their 190 customers on a regular basis and is rated extremely high in each of the four key areas.  Tymos says that customers notice their unique culture, its lean processes (it has 14 black belts and 15 greenbelts in quality), its 18 years of continuous profitability, and the regional locations of its business units which allows for lots of close personal touch with our customers says Tymos.

The only downside that Tymos sees is the companys lack of visibility.  We are not as well recognized in the market as we would like to be.  We need to get better at creating awareness.  Our growth has been fast, but we are a private company and we dont share a lot of information, so our great success story hasnt gotten around yet.  We do have a strong brand for those that know about us.  Creations service offerings best align with business products versus high volume consumer products. Most assemblies are medium volume, complex products, PCBA to systems to fulfillment and after market services. 

Competitively, Creation believes its service offerings to be top notch and highly competitive.  The competitors that have caused us the most grief are those that come down-market and confuse the customer with their offering. It often takes a while for a customer to discover that it is a bad fit.  We always encourage OEMs to look at true strategic alignment rather than just price alone.  Under-priced suppliers will, eventually, go out of business. Given Creations market focus and successful value-proposition, it seems likely that the company will continue to experience strong growth and expansion in the future.


EPIC Technologies

Headquartered in Norwalk, Ohio, EPIC Technologies (EPIC) has experienced similar strong growth as Creation with revenues of nearly $300 million in 2008, with three operations in the U.S. and two in Mexico.  EPIC is particularly recognized for its lean manufacturing operations (the subject of an article by the authors in Circuits Assembly in 2004) and its exceptional customer satisfaction.  The company acquired the assets of Siemens Energy and Automation and Philips Consumer Electronics operations in 2006 and is a portfolio company of the private equity firm CIVC Partners L.P.

Vice President of Supply Chain Management Todd Baggett states that EPICs extremely high customer satisfaction ratings are the result of its exceptional flexibility and responsiveness.  We typically turn customer orders within a 3-5 day lead time, and have several customers where we demonstrate 99+% on time delivery with 24 to 48 hour contractual order fulfillment lead times.. We have implemented a unique manufacturing strategy to facilitate this level of agility.  Additionally, Baggett believes that EPICs program management is second to none in the EMS industry, noting that Our PMs have P/L responsibility from a cost management standpoint.  They are responsible for on-time delivery, quality and scheduling as well as the health and growth of the customer relationship, performance metrics and customer satisfaction and are empowered to adapt their teams as necessary to meet and exceed customer expectations. 

EPIC thinks that management of the supply chain is its biggest challenge to success in EMS, since the cost of purchased components accounts for nearly 80% of the cost of doing business in EMS.  Given the companies short order turnaround time expectations, materials management requires and even higher level of focus at EPIC.  The company uses a Kan Ban component purchasing methodology, with protected buffer quantities tp support flexibility.  This breaks sharply from the traditional MRP approach to materials management in EMS.  Baggett states, In many ways, you dont need buyers or planners in the traditional sense, as we have automated tools to respond to Kan Ban replenishment signals.  Our buyers are therefore able to focus more on strategic supply chain initiatives, such as customer specific bonding or buffering strategies.

EPIC believes that its extreme flexibility is a true differentiator in the industry, and recent customer service awards support that contention.  The company uses a customer focus team (CFT) approach which literally becomes an extension of the customer organization.  EPICs motto is, any product, anywhere and anytime with real time order flexibility and is made possible as a result of its non-dedicated line operations.  Baggett states, Most EMS companies are driven by an MRR model, whereby a customer forecast is loaded, component parts pipelined and transformed to finished goods as quickly as possible for shipment to the customer, regardless of current customer needs.  EPIC works with a delayed transformation model, whereby parts are pipelined, preferably on vendor consignment models, but EPIC delays product transformation until they see consumption on the part of the customer from the established finished goods bins.  This ensures that EPIC builds only what customers need and do not waste manufacturing resources on products that customers do not need. Resources are therefore available to support immediate customer requirements on very short lead time. 
	 

EN ElectronicNetwork

EN ElectronicNetwork AG (EN), is another mid-tier EMS company based in Germany with sites all over Europe.  It has experienced strong growth over the last five years, with the exception of 2008 when its revenues were flat ($274 million). The companys focus on the industrial market segment drives revenue and profits which accounts in part for its good profit and strong revenue growth.  ENs Leading customers include ABB, Bosch, Moeller and Siemens. Other market segments served are medical electronics, renewable energy and railway transportation.

EN was established as a result of a spin-off from Philips and is privately held which makes it very flexible concerning investments and their focus on their customers needs. Customer satisfaction is taken very seriously and checked quarterly by surveys. We want to keep our customers happy, because thats the only way to participate in each others success. Just recently a long-term worldwide customer returned to EN from one of the big players in Asia. The customer got disappointed by the poor quality, lack of interest and long-term decisions. Turn these three reasons around and you will know why they want to be with EN.  Were proud of that states Ernst Gockel, Chief Sales Officer. Due to the high focus on quality, EN invests a lot in certifications. A recent one was IRIS [International Railway Industry Standard] which is a requirement to manufacture for the railway industry.

EN differentiates itself by excelling in providing the so-called Germany Preciseness in its operations throughout the whole product life cycle. Leading products include, drive technologies such as measurement and control, frequency converters, motors, power supplies, production technology, robotics, automation technology (ticket, beverage, deposit, cash, cigarette and gaming machines), and military systems.  EN offers support in the design process by offering ODM services in their areas of expertise, manages the supply chain, produces prototypes as well as launching low-to-high volume products, and offers repair services and distribution as required. 

Ernst Gockel points to the companys rapid response time as a competitive strength. EN offers ODM services but if there are many projects at once, it partners with an outside R&D company with deep experience in the Medical, Defense and Aerospace markets.  Yet EN faces challenges in providing services in metals and plastics which some of its competitors can offer. Increasing market awareness of the company is another problem which Gockel notes stating, Its a gap we need to close and will.


Morey Corp.

The Morey Corporation is one of the EMS industrys best kept secrets.  This family owned operation started in the 1930s and evolved through three generations yet stands out as being one of the most successful privately-held companies in the industry.  Morey Corp. achieved revenues of $120 million in 2008 which represented growth of approximately 50 percent from the previous year.  

In recent years, Morey Corp. has positioned itself as an ODM in the area of high-level controls, displays and telematics.  Some of its leading customers include Caterpillar, International and Case and therefore it has gained considerable expertise in the industrial segment involving heavy equipment and process control applications.  President and CEO Scott Morey states, Caterpillar is the number one OEM supplier of ruggedized equipment in the world and we are one of their primary ruggedized electronic subcontractors.

The company recently open up a 27,500 square foot R&D center (the Richard and Gene Morey Innovation Center) to support its 100,000 square foot manufacturing facility.  This ODM capability gives the company advantages in providing the latest generation of technologies, improved technical problem solving, improved speed-to-market, and greater flexibility in configuration and quality.  Morey has also applied these skills to the aerospace/military and energy markets by focusing on low-to-medium volume/high mix products.

Moreys President/CEO Scott Morey is supported by his brothers Dana and Jay, and sets the standard and vision for the company.  He has joked that some of the long-time employees jab that, he couldnt hold a candle to his grandfather, yet the loyalty within the company is palpable.  The moral and ethical values that he advocates engender an integrity to which customers instinctively respond.  We all work best with companies and people with whom we share values.  Who are you friends with?  Its the same with our customers.

Moreys success is derived not from any one thing; rather it is a combination of business values and practices that make it unique among its employees and customers.  These include the philosophies of lean manufacturing, Deming, Goldratt and The Bible. The company pursues a conservative growth strategy, often eschewing acquisitions and opportunistic customer engagements.  As a result, Morey focuses on the markets and products that it can excel in, and then excels in applying its value-proposition.  


NexLogic

NexLogic is a Silicon Valley-based operation that has demonstrated exceptional financial performance by achieving some of the strongest profit margins in the industry according to our statistics.  While the company is small ($16 million in sales in 2008), it is extremely well-positioned in the industrial, medical and military market segments, which seem to be the only ones where good profitability can be achieved.  

When asked how it came to be so successful, President and CEO Zulki Khan replies, We have developed an ideal customer profile to help us understand the kind of customer we want to serve.  Once we decide on a customer, we go the extra mile to do what we need to get the product finished.  We are extremely flexible in terms of delivery and in rapid turnaround time.  We like to spoil them and are constantly achieving miracles.  After a while, if you do that enough times they will come to rely on you and price becomes second to service.  Eventually, they become champions for you inside the company.

NexLogic doesnt lose many contracts once its sets its sites on a particular customer.  Yet, it is quite particular about the kinds of projects it will take one, focusing on those that it believes it can excel with.  Khan says, We offer a one-stop-shop like the big guys, providing layout, testing, assembly but try to reduce the suppliers to one contact.  We try and keep our finger on the pulse of the technology needs, processes, and packages requirements and will invest in equipment if necessary as well as certifications.  Additionally, we are very proactive and try to solve problems in advance before its too late.  We upgrade our capacity and capability by buying things that will help us to better serve the customer.

NexLogic has kept some customers up to ten years and nearly 80% of its business is from repeat business.  The company employs nearly 25% of a total staff count in engineers.  NexLogic invests considerably in certifications (RoHs, medical and military, etc.) and other specialties to keep on the leading-edge of its field.  The company realizes that it needs to maintain high levels of technical, quality and performance capabilities to be successful.  These and other things keep NexLogic on the forefront in being one of the best small-size performing companies in EMS.


Zollner

Zollner is the second largest EMS company in Europe (behind Elcoteq), and the largest in Germany with 12 locations in Europe, one in China and one in North Africa.  The company exceeded $1 billion in revenue in 2008, more than doubling its revenue since 1993.  The company does this by developing a very strong customer base around medium- to high-volume, low-mix assemblies as well as complex and low-volume production involving advanced technology. Zollner has a diverse product base of electronic assemblies across all major industry segments.

Similar to other companies profiled in this report, Zollner is privately held which allows it to plan for the long-term as opposed to short-term which most public companies must do by quarter.  This long term advantage provides a spirit that others cant afford by allowing it to invest in a range of portfolio products.  Zollner is a full-service, vertical provider including offerings in sheet metal, plastics and full-turnkey services.  

Markus Aschenbrenner, VP of Business Development, believes that these features allow it to act as a medium in size business that can give customers a lot of personal attention, unlike the first tier suppliers.  He reiterates, Our program management is very good at hearing what the customer really needs.  The customer is only one step away from being able to call executive management if a problem doesnt get satisfactorily solved.  Every three years we do an extensive customer satisfaction survey, where the PM and a member of executive management go to the customers site to address our performance and their needs.

Zollner is a technology driven company.  In Europe we are always the first ones to adopt new technology.  For example, we were the first ones in Europe to purchase the new series of Agilent X-ray equipment states Aschenbrenner.  Moreover, flexibility is very key to customers. They rely on us today for everything and want manufacturing to be the same as it used to be in-house.  As a result, we have standard systems, equipment, processes and software across all our sites as we did not acquire other companies and so no need to integrate different set ups into our organization.  Were not like the big guys that buy their customers manufacturing operations and inherit inefficient operations.

Like many growing EMS firms, Zollner believes that it needs to do better in supply chain management.  While the company has a fully established procurement capability in China for the benefit of better pricing on components, although there is more room for improvement.  With more than 500 customers, Zollner has seen it all - big/small, Asian/domestic - but perceives that things are picking up again in 2010.  Executive management pays close attention to these trends and the specific needs of its customers.]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=40</link></item><item><title>Could Printed Electronics Replace Traditional Electronics?</title><description><![CDATA[]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=37</link></item><item><title>NVR Forecasts IC Outlook for 2010</title><description><![CDATA[IC revenue will grow at 18.8% in 2010, with unit growth at 18%, according to New Venture Research (formerly Electronic Trend Publications).  This is considerably better than the 8.8% decline in revenue and 6.9% decline in units in 2009. 
 
According to Sandra Winkler, Senior Industry Analyst at NVR, DRAMs are anticipated to be the largest growth area for ICs, with 40% revenue growth in 2010.  Numerous analog chips, including regulators & references, computer, communications, automotive, and industrial applications; special purpose logic chips including consumer, computer, communications, and automotive; flash, EEPROM, 32-bit MCU, and standard cell and PLD chips will all see revenue growth rates in excess of 15%.

Low interest rates, low oil prices, and the stimulus packages that were instituted around the world are all contributing to a stabilizing economy and upturn.  Purchases were less than the replacement market in 2009, and pent up demand is pulling the market in a positive direction. 
 
Cell phones, particularly the high-end smart phones, will see high growth rates.  Smart phones are gaining in popularity and are becoming a larger piece of the cell phone pie.  Anything handheld and somewhat affordable that keeps us connected to the rest of the world seems to be doing well.  New product introductions such as Apples iPhone is becoming a hot topic, the iPad is expected to do well, and the Blackberry by Research in Motion (RIM) has been doing well for some time.
  
Netbook computers, with prices as low as $200 during holiday sales, and notebook computers are driving up IC demand.  Other high growth areas include 3D and digital TVs, DSL/ cable modems, flash drives, memory cards, set top boxes, digital cameras, automotive, and an assortment of audio applications.  
The economy is stabilizing, which is easing fears of spending on consumer goods.  The housing market, which took down the economy by taking the credit markets down with it, is stabilizing, and the ratio of income to housing expenditure is more balanced than it was previously.  The automotive market, which is host for numerous ICs, had fallen substantially during the downturn.  This market did benefit from the cash-for-clunkers program, although automotive sales fell back after the program ended.  But it became a booster to spending, which helped.  And automotive is expected to turn up in 2010 and beyond, particularly in areas such as China.  Overall, spending is higher now than it was in the depths of 2009.  And that is what is pulling up and out of the sloth of 2009, and will carry us to a more positive future.

NVR (www.newventureresearch.com) is a global provider of business intelligence, growth management and advisory services to companies in the information technology, telecommunications, consumer, scientific instrumentation and advanced electronics markets.  NVR assists companies in their decision making by providing timely market and strategic information. Its goal is to help its clients achieve their key business objectives by offering a range of primary and secondary research capabilities that give guidance on new products and emerging businesses.  
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=36</link></item><item><title>The Worldwide Printed Electronics Market - 2010 Edition</title><description><![CDATA[Printed materials and conductive inks have begun to penetrate many established products and extend them in new ways. The most immediate applications concern RFID and OLED displays, which are manufactured using OTFT technology. These technologies are penetrating a wide number of customer applications, and as costs decline and performance improves, will justify customers switching to and, in many cases, implementing entirely new design solutions.  Others applications, such as packaging, and photovoltaic and battery storage technology, are emerging slowly but represent great potential]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=34</link></item><item><title>The Worldwide Printed Electronics Market - 2010 Edition</title><description><![CDATA[Printed materials and conductive inks have begun to penetrate many established products and extend them in new ways. The most immediate applications concern RFID and OLED displays, which are manufactured using OTFT technology. These technologies are penetrating a wide number of customer applications, and as costs decline and performance improves, will justify customers switching to and, in many cases, implementing entirely new design solutions.  Others applications, such as packaging, and photovoltaic and battery storage technology, are emerging slowly but represent great potential]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=35</link></item><item><title>NVR Acquires Market Research Publisher ETP</title><description><![CDATA[The market research business of Electronic Trend Publications was acquired by
New Venture Research Corp. on January 1, 2010.  ETP is a well-known publisher of market research reports for advanced electronics and energy technologies.  NVR and ETP have worked together for more than 16 years.  ETP's publications will augment NVR's market research, business development and M&A consulting services by providing a solid database on market data on emerging electronics and energy product technologies.  For more information, please contact Randall Sherman at 530-265-2004.]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=33</link></item><item><title>New Venture Research Joins Forces with Alerta Marketing Intelligence</title><description><![CDATA[New Venture Research Corp., a market research, business development and mergers and acquisition consultancy company based in Nevada City, California, U.S.A., has established an alliance with Alerta Marketing Intelligence, a strategic marketing, business intelligence and mergers and acquisition consultancy based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

NVR and AMI are combining their industry and market expertise to generate cross-regional M&A opportunities for Original Equipment Manufacturers and Electronics Manufacturing Services providers in Europe, America and Asia. Both firms participate in producing syndicated market research reports on the electronics industries and are able to leveraging their deep pool of contacts and industry knowledge that has been gained over the past 20 years. The partnership will assist interested companies in searches, valuations, negotiations, and business intelligence that few investment banks or brokers can match at substantially lower rates.
  
NVR and AMI focus on companies ranging from $50M to $500M in revenues, provide investment thesis and prospectus, and present the buyer or seller proposition in a knowledgeable and professional manner. Thorough evaluations are made, methodically searching and screening suitable companies by region, size and capabilities to select the best alliance opportunities.  

North American or Asian clients can contact New Venture Research Corp. at 1-530-265-2004 while European clients can contact Alerta Marketing Intelligence at +31(0)6 4100 9362. To download a M&A services brochure and view past projects, please go to www.newventureresearch.com/services.html or http://www.alerta-intelligence.com/images/merger,%20acquisition%20and%20divestment%20services,%20nvr_ami.pdf/ ]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=32</link></item><item><title>New Venture Research Receives 2008 Best of Nevada City Award</title><description><![CDATA[New Venture Research has been selected for the 2008 Best of Nevada City Award in the Market Research & Analysis category by the U.S. Local Business Association (USLBA).

The USLBA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USLBA identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community. 
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=29</link></item><item><title>The Worldwide Solar Panel Assembly Market, 2nd Edition</title><description><![CDATA[Electrical power production from solar photovoltaic (PV) systems is experiencing explosive growth that should continue for many years into the future. However, as with any exciting and high-growth market, there is much speculation about the impact and size of this market over time.

The analysis and forecasts are provided in a variety of measures. Application and regional markets are defined in megawatts. Technology markets are defined in megawatts, modules (i.e. panels), cost per module, and cost of goods sold (COGS). 

This report forecasts the move by PV cell and module manufacturers to outsource production to electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers. The outsourcing forecast is defined in megawatts, modules, cost per module, and COGS.

Chapter 3, Technical Trends, examines the basis for PV electronics, reviews the fundamental materials science behind basic PV cells, and looks at some of the emerging PV technologies. This chapter also contains a brief compendium of recent news articles about the industry.

Chapter 4, Market Analysis, 2008, defines the leading technologies, applications, and regions for PV electronics. The chapter quantifiesinsofar as is possiblethe current market in terms of megawatts shipped, modules shipped, average cost per module, and cost of goods sold.

Chapter 5, Market Forecast, 20092023 examines how the market for PV electronics is expected to grow by leading application area. As in Chapter 4, this chapter defines the leading technologies, applications, and regions. This chapter also forecasts how the EMS industry is expected to play an expanding role in the PV market.

Chapter 6, Company Profiles, reviews the products and strategies of the leading industry PV manufacturers. Profiles are also provided for some promising startup companies, as well as a number of material and production equipment providers.

For more information see: http://www.electronictrendpubs.com/pv2bro.htm/

]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=30</link></item><item><title>Video Storage System Markets and Trends</title><description><![CDATA[Electronic Trend Publications (ETP) in its new report, Video Storage System Markets and Trends, uses data from a wide variety of sources to present the most realistic picture available regarding the present and future of this market.

The market for video storage systems is also dependant on many other supporting markets such as consumer and commercial cameras, commercial DVRs and NVRs, video servers, enterprise and video editing software, and other products. It also, by necessity, must include that portion of the computer and storage market that is dedicated to video and image storage as found in notebooks, desktops, servers, workstations, and enterprise storage systems.

For this reason, this report describes the VSS market in several waysboth by leading application area and also by traditional vertical marketswhich helps when analyzing the texture of the market. What has resulted is a cross-matrix of applications and vertical markets that gives great granularity to the overall VSS market.

The total VSS market is largewith projected revenue in excess of $100 billion in 2012. Consumer VSS applications represent over 80 percent of the market throughout the forecast period. While the commercial market represents only a small fraction of the total VSS market from a revenue standpoint, it is one of the most dynamic in terms of true VSS development. 

For more information see: http://www.electronictrendpubs.com/vss1bro.htm]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=31</link></item><item><title>Printed Electronics Will Disrupt the Industry</title><description><![CDATA[The market for printed electronics is just beginning to emerge. As in the semiconductor market that preceded it, specific applications are legitimizing its acceptance and driving its demand. In some cases, the market applications are near term and dynamic, while others are more long range and evolving. The most ubiquitous and immediate applications concern RFID and OLED displays, which are manufactured using OTFT (organic thin film transistor) technology. These technologies are penetrating a wide number of customer applications, and as costs decline and performance improves, will justify customer switching and, in many cases, implementation of entirely new design solutions.

It can safely be said that the printed electronics industry is disruptive in the sense that it is creating new and original markets not seen since the advent of MP3 players, PDAs, or handheld video games. Moreover, it replaces many established products and may provide better functionality and performance at a lower cost. In some cases, as with RFID, printed electronics will drive new demand and consumption by providing more comprehensive accountability, data accuracy, and logistical knowledge than exist todaya kind of new super bar-code technology solution. In other situations, such as with new emissive and nonemissive displays powered by organic logic, memory, and sensor input, printed electronics will provide a more original solution than exists with legacy technology.

As each individual market begins to mature, it will evolve into much more predictable and measurable segments with regard to behavior and rate of growth. Embryonic markets are initially difficult to size or accurately forecast because of the absence of end user and supplier information. Consequently, ETP expects that future reports will restate some of the market sizes, shares, and pricing as better information is obtained.

Radio Frequency Identification
Far and away the biggest opportunity for printed electronics is in the radio frequency identification (RFID) market, which grew by more than 50 percent in revenues from 2005 to 2006. The number of field trials within industries such as financial services, airlines, hospitals, and postal/government increased substantially in 2006 and is projected to expand by as much as 50 percent in 2007. Printed electronics is helping drive manufacturing costs down. OTFT technology is being applied to produce low-cost RFID tags consisting of as many as 4,000 transistors, although the majority of tags continue to be manufactured using traditional silicon technology.

Displays
The market for OTFT displays is expected to experience dynamic growth similar to that of RFID because of the inherent advantages that printed electronics offers in display technology. OTFT will face very little competition when it comes to manufacturing flexible display devices. OTFT technology will also emerge as a significant replacement to TFT-LCD technology in certain price-sensitive applications. By the end of the ten-year forecast period, printed organic display electronics is expected to dominate the OLED display technology field in terms of cost and performance.

Smart Labels and Intelligent Packaging
The market for smart or intelligent labels and packaging is one of the largest potential markets for printed electronics in the industry, if the remarkable potential can only be realized. The total available market size vastly exceeds any other potential market, including OLEDs, RFID, semiconductors, and photovoltaics, except that the penetration is expected to be significantly less, given the cost obstacles to be overcome. As a result, the percent of penetration of the total available market will remain relatively low, although the total printed electronics market for smart labels and intelligent packaging is expected to be the second largest printed electronics market in 2016 given the scale of the overall packaging market.

Memory, Logic, Sensors
One of the pivotal elements to the success of the printed electronics industry will be advances in low-cost logic, memory, and related optoelectronic sensing devices utilizing OTFT circuitry. If the silicon semiconductor industry is a valid analogy, then innovation should proceed rapidly, possibly exceeding ETPs estimates, which are based only on contemporary information. It is of interest that AMD purportedly controls about 80 percent of the patents for printable, thin film electronics, and the Japanese have moved into overdrive in registering new patents relevant to printed transistors in the last year.

Photovoltaics
Over the next ten years, demand for photovoltaic (PV) technology will grow rapidly as the cost for conventional energy increases and becomes less affordable to end users. Moreover, as the cost for PV modules drops, largely due to innovations from printed electronics, consumption of new kinds of PV modules, batteries, rechargeable batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and related power generating devices will take off. More importantly, the efficiency of solar conversion devices (which in 2006 had reached approximately 20 percent) will increase and likely double or more, making printed PV an extremely attractive power source solution. Printed electronics will mainly serve to lower the production costs of PV devices, thus driving significant growth and stimulating demand for cost-sensitive applications such as residential power generation, recreation, security, and transportation.

Printed Electronics Market Summary
The market for OTFT/printed electronics is realistically expected to explode over the next ten years. Though hardly measurable at the time of the writing of this report, the emerging market is expected to rise to almost $45 billion by 2016. The markets in order of size in 2016 will be RFID, followed by smart labels and intelligent packaging, IC logic/memory and sensors, OLED technology, and finally PV market applications (mostly battery power storage). 

The printed electronics market has an extraordinary upside when compared with traditional market growth opportunities. For the first few years, overall penetration will only be in the single digits, and market evolution will hardly be noticed. This will change quickly as the market potential becomes apparent. Though the printed electronics industry hardly seems viable today, it could well become one of the most exciting and astonishing markets to unfold in the last 40 years.
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=26</link></item><item><title>Test</title><description><![CDATA[]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=27</link></item><item><title>Test</title><description><![CDATA[]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=28</link></item><item><title>EMS Manufacturers Come to the Rescue of Solar</title><description><![CDATA[A study performed by NVR in January, 2008 concludes that EMS (electronic manufacturing service) suppliers will be key to the success of the solar panel manufacturing industry. After more than a century of research, the photovoltaic (PV)commonly referred to as solar market for electrical power production is experiencing explosive growth that should continue for many years into the future. However, as with any exciting and high-growth market, there is much speculation and many exaggerated estimates about the impact and size of the market over time. 

Electronic Trend Publications (ETP) in its new report, The Worldwide Solar Panel Assembly Market, uses data from a wide variety of sources to present the most realistic picture available regarding the present and future of this market. The analysis and forecasts are provided in a variety of measures. Application and regional markets are defined in megawatts. Technology markets are defined in megawatts, modules (i.e. panels), cost per module, and cost of goods sold (COGS). 

This report also forecasts the likely move by PV cell and module manufacturers to begin outsourcing production to companies in the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) market. The outsourcing forecast is also defined in megawatts, modules, cost per module, and COGS. COGSthe total manufacturing cost to produce PV cells and finished modulesis forecast instead of revenue for two reasons. First, it is much easier to predict manufacturing cost than revenue. In a capital intensive industry such as PV cell manufacturing, revenue often swings wildly as supply and demand move in and out of balance. Second, COGS is the key value for EMS providers who wish to enter the market. 

This report is organized into six chapters. Chapter 1, Introduction, outlines the scope, organization, and methodology for the report. Chapter 2, Executive Summary, presents top-level data from throughout the report. 

Chapter 3, Technical Trends, examines the basis for PV electronics and considers the fundamental materials science behind basic PV cells as well as some of the emerging PV technologies. This chapter also contains a brief compendium of recent news articles about the industry. 

Chapter 4, Market Analysis, 2007, defines the leading technologies, applications, and regions for PV electronics. The chapter quantifiesinsofar as is possiblethe current market in terms of megawattshipped, modules shipped, average cost per module, and cost of goods sold. 

Chapter 5, Market Forecast, 20082022 examines how the market for PV electronics is expected to grow by leading application area. As in Chapter 4, this chapter defines the leading technologies, applications, and regions. This chapter also forecasts how the EMS industry is expected to play an expanding role in the production of PV modules. 

Chapter 6, Company Profiles, examines the leading industry PV cell and module manufacturers, along with a sampling of material and production equipment providers. The profiles review these companies strategies and products.]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=24</link></item><item><title>Printed Electronics Set to Disrupt the Electronics Industry</title><description><![CDATA[The market for printed electronics is just beginning to emerge. As in the semiconductor market that preceded it, specific applications are legitimizing its acceptance and driving its demand. In some cases, the market applications are near term and dynamic, while others are more long range and evolving. The most ubiquitous and immediate applications concern RFID and OLED displays, which are manufactured using OTFT (organic thin film transistor) technology. These technologies are penetrating a wide number of customer applications, and as costs decline and performance improves, will justify customer switching and, in many cases, implementation of entirely new design solutions.

It can safely be said that the printed electronics industry is disruptive in the sense that it is creating new and original markets not seen since the advent of MP3 players, PDAs, or handheld video games. Moreover, it replaces many established products and may provide better functionality and performance at a lower cost. In some cases, as with RFID, printed electronics will drive new demand and consumption by providing more comprehensive accountability, data accuracy, and logistical knowledge than exist todaya kind of new super bar-code technology solution. In other situations, such as with new emissive and nonemissive displays powered by organic logic, memory, and sensor input, printed electronics will provide a more original solution than exists with legacy technology.

As each individual market begins to mature, it will evolve into much more predictable and measurable segments with regard to behavior and rate of growth. Embryonic markets are initially difficult to size or accurately forecast because of the absence of end user and supplier information. Consequently, ETP expects that future reports will restate some of the market sizes, shares, and pricing as better information is obtained.

Far and away the biggest opportunity for printed electronics is in the radio frequency identification (RFID) market, which grew by more than 50 percent in revenues from 2005 to 2006. The number of field trials within industries such as financial services, airlines, hospitals, and postal/government increased substantially in 2006 and is projected to expand by as much as 50 percent in 2007. Printed electronics is helping drive manufacturing costs down. OTFT technology is being applied to produce low-cost RFID tags consisting of as many as 4,000 transistors, although the majority of tags continue to be manufactured using traditional silicon technology.

The market for OTFT displays is expected to experience dynamic growth similar to that of RFID because of the inherent advantages that printed electronics offers in display technology. OTFT will face very little competition when it comes to manufacturing flexible display devices. OTFT technology will also emerge as a significant replacement to TFT-LCD technology in certain price-sensitive applications. By the end of the ten-year forecast period, printed organic display electronics is expected to dominate the OLED display technology field in terms of cost and performance.

The market for smart or intelligent labels and packaging is one of the largest potential markets for printed electronics in the industry, if the remarkable potential can only be realized. The total available market size vastly exceeds any other potential market, including OLEDs, RFID, semiconductors, and photovoltaics, except that the penetration is expected to be significantly less, given the cost obstacles to be overcome. As a result, the percent of penetration of the total available market will remain relatively low, although the total printed electronics market for smart labels and intelligent packaging is expected to be the second largest printed electronics market in 2016 given the scale of the overall packaging market.

One of the pivotal elements to the success of the printed electronics industry will be advances in low-cost logic, memory, and related optoelectronic sensing devices utilizing OTFT circuitry. If the silicon semiconductor industry is a valid analogy, then innovation should proceed rapidly, possibly exceeding ETPs estimates, which are based only on contemporary information. It is of interest that AMD purportedly controls about 80 percent of the patents for printable, thin film electronics, and the Japanese have moved into overdrive in registering new patents relevant to printed transistors in the last year.

Over the next ten years, demand for photovoltaic (PV) technology will grow rapidly as the cost for conventional energy increases and becomes less affordable to end users. Moreover, as the cost for PV modules drops, largely due to innovations from printed electronics, consumption of new kinds of PV modules, batteries, rechargeable batteries, solar cells, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and related power generating devices will take off. More importantly, the efficiency of solar conversion devices (which in 2006 had reached approximately 20 percent) will increase and likely double or more, making printed PV an extremely attractive power source solution. Printed electronics will mainly serve to lower the production costs of PV devices, thus driving significant growth and stimulating demand for cost-sensitive applications such as residential power generation, recreation, security, and transportation.

The market for OTFT/printed electronics is realistically expected to explode over the next ten years. Though hardly measurable at the time of the writing of this report, the emerging market is expected to rise to almost $45 billion by 2016. The markets in order of size in 2016 will be RFID, followed by smart labels and intelligent packaging, IC logic/memory and sensors, OLED technology, and finally PV market applications (mostly battery power storage). 

The printed electronics market has an extraordinary upside when compared with traditional market growth opportunities. For the first few years, overall penetration will only be in the single digits, and market evolution will hardly be noticed. This will change quickly as the market potential becomes apparent. Though the printed electronics industry hardly seems viable today, it could well become one of the most exciting and astonishing markets to unfold in the last 40 years.
]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=25</link></item><item><title>test</title><description><![CDATA[]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=21</link></item><item><title>test</title><description><![CDATA[test 2]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=22</link></item><item><title>test</title><description><![CDATA[test 2]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=23</link></item><item><title>The Worldwide EMS Market for 2006</title><description><![CDATA[]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=14</link></item><item><title>Electronics Manufacturing in China</title><description><![CDATA[What is the future of electronics manufacturing in China? Electronic Trend Publications has followed the worldwide electronics manufacturing industry for over a decade and is pleased to present, Electronics Manufacturing in China, Fourth Editiona comprehensive research report focusing on this key country. By our estimates, the cost of goods sold for electronics products manufactured in China was about $174 billion in 2004. This market will grow to $385 billion in 2009.

The term electronics manufacturer will refer simultaneously to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as well as electronics manufacturing service (EMS) providerscontract manufacturers (CMs) and  original design manufacturers (ODMs).  Chinese manufacturers do not necessarily make any careful distinction between these types of electronics manufacturing. In many situations, they start by manufacturing products for other companies, and then use this experience to create imitation products of their own, which they make and sell domestically.

The report begins with a look at China\'s basic economics and demographics, and gives special consideration to analyzing corporate structure and ownership in China. Next, the three major electronics industry segments (computer, communications, and consumer) are discussed in depth, along with shorter reviews of smaller, less developed segments such as automotive, industrial, medical, and defense. Leading electronics companies in the major market segments are identified, along with an analysis of production by domestic consumption versus export. Following this discussion, several key production benchmarks of electronics companies in China are presented.

The report then presents an analysis of the rate of growth of domestic consumption and exports from 2005 to 2009. This section presents cost of goods sold data by industry segment, as well as by export versus domestic use.

The report concludes with condensed profiles of selected electronics manufacturers in China. These profiles were based on direct interviews with the companies and focus on each company\'s manufacturing capabilities, products made, and financial data. The intent of these profiles is not to serve as a directory of electronics manufacturers in China, but rather as an indicator of current industry focus.]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=11</link></item><item><title>The Flaws and Obsolescence of Product Forecasting</title><description><![CDATA[Supply chain management (SCM) tools are supposed to reduce the complexity of the supply network and streamline the process of procurement, assembly and product distribution.  When erroneous forecasts occur or market conditions change, organizations can theoretically react instantly to redistribute materials and eliminate excess product.  While this has great appeal as a concept, it rarely is the case in practice.  This is because the ones who purportedly manage the supply chains, CMs and more recently CDMs (contract design manufacturers  sometimes called original design manufacturers), do not always have the ability to manufacture on a real-time demand basis.  Most suppliers organize their operations to manufacture and procure parts in a batch-modebuying parts direct so they can gain cost advantage and then producing all of the finished goods as fast as they can.  Running an operation on this basis requires weeks of advanced forecasts and schedule planning with no changes allowed.  If there are substantial variances to the forecast or spend, penalties are charged to the OEM for the change, unless the CM has purchased inventory independently as Solectron did in 2000 in anticipation of a continued upside.  This later resulted in significant inventory write-offs and SCM tools only exacerbated the problem. 

Its probably true to say that the problem of bad forecasts will never go away since it is inherent to the current manufacturing paradigm.  There are simply too many custom and specialized parts that are difficult to acquire without getting in line through forecast allocation.  The majority of CMs cannot structure their operations to work without them, requiring 4-8 week lead times to obtain materials and to produce products.   The best guess approach to predicting product demand and procuring/scheduling/manufacturing has ultimately established a level playing field for the EMS industry with CMs/CDMs vying for the slightest competitive edge in operational efficiency.  It has also exposed many of these firms to tremendous risks in the long lead times on Work In Process and finished goods inventory as well as liability on obsolescence and quality issues.  One might ask, Has anything fundamentally changed from the days of OEM manufacturing besides CMs perfecting the technique of 23-hour equipment utilization and high velocity manufacturing?

A Singularly Unusual Company
One very remarkable CM has emerged out of this industry that avoids the pitfalls of forecasts by producing only real-time product orders on a daily and weekly basis (i.e., no firm production scheduling).  They can do this because their manufacturing operation is able to scale in resources (labor and materials) in real-time and their supply chain management system can deliver materials almost instantly.  (Such an environment provides the biggest advantages for products that are low-to-medium volume and high mix.)  Thus forecasts are practically obsolete since every days production schedule is met and shipped independent of the variances.  This naturally suggests a very dynamic environment which requires special cooperation and organization of suppliers, manpower and manufacturing equipment.  Yet once in place, it yields extraordinary results in production metrics not found in most manufacturing operations.  For example, inventory turns average approximately 12 a year whereas most CMs in the industry average 4-6 turns, and only 8 in special situations (inventory turns are a highly misquoted metric within the EMS industry).  Since product assembly doesnt occur until consumption generates actual demand, the obsolescence risk is greatly mitigated.  Product cycle time usually occurs in just one day and on-time delivery by the company exceeds 98 percent.

Electronic Product Integration Company (EPIC) is headquartered in Rochester Hills, Michigan and has plants in Norwalk, Ohio and Juarez, Mexico (distribution and final assembly in El Paso, Texas).  The company has developed a manufacturing process technology that runs without advanced forecasts (only daily/weekly schedules) yet provides its customers with what is wanted when it is actually needed.  EPIC does this with an end-to-end lean manufacturing system  that achieves a new benchmark in terms of flexibility, productivity and turnaround time.  And it has achieved this for nearly all of their customers who give them high marks for their quality, speed and cost-competitiveness.  How is this done?  

The first step was to develop a pull system within the EMS operations.  EPIC had to conduct extensive layout changes to establish a cellular-based flow to improve capacity utilization and increase equipment and process flexibility.  Through these changes, the company increased component placement activity by 3X without adding additional equipment.  Ultimately, EPIC developed and implemented a revolutionary approach combining Synchronous Flow Manufacturing with a Lean Operating System.  According to Jochen Lipp, V.P. of Operations, some of the breakthroughs included:
	A significant reduction in set-up/change-over times of 15 minutes average versus greater than two hours normally.  This enables the company to conduct multiple product change-overs per shift with very small transfer quantities.
	Increased first-pass yield at in-circuit test and functional test through the transfer of very small quantities which permits real-time feedback versus large batch processes. 
	Reduce the average production cycle times from 4-5 days to less than one shift in a high-mix environment (e.g. producing 25-50 assemblies simultaneously in each work cell), with work-in-process of less than one shift within the system.  This has the added benefit of reducing obsolescence risk associated with engineering changes.

The next step was to get cooperation from EPICs materials suppliersprincipally distributors such as Avnet, Arrow, Future and TTIto provide components through an in-plant warehouse store that is replenished on a weekly basis.  Standard EDI interfaces are used to order materials and since the company only requires what it needs for the week ahead, so there is virtually no scrap or obsolescence.  This flexibility saves money because it eliminates inventory and bulk procurement costs.  As one of EPICs distributors puts it, It is inflexibility that is expensive in the electronics manufacturing business, meaning that long lead times in procurement and product turnaround cycles have many hidden costs.  Karl Keller of Future Electronics works with EPIC by providing materials on a consignment basis which allows them to pull materials in real-time. EPIC has used their BTO system to great success when people want quick turn manufacturing.  They can finish a product in a day whereas the competition will take weeks.  

The biggest hurdle by far is on the operations side which required a complete restructuring.  Wally Johnson, Vice President of Supply Chain Management at EPIC put it this way: Going to China is the easy choice for most OEMs seeking cost reductions.  We had to create a new and dynamic organization that was fast, flexible and competitive.  A lot of people talk about lean manufacturing but most stop short of a full lean program.  The difference in our system is with our execution.   To facilitate this new model, EPIC has perfected a Kanban  system in its operations.  Cooperative distributors are pivotal to providing the necessary component response time for their factories to execute and give its comparative cost advantage.  Because the model lacks the overhead associated with traditional materials resource planner systems and production scheduling, EPIC is frequently able to offer a cheaper total solution to its customerseven when competing against much larger 1st and 2nd tier EMS companies. 

All of this requires a dedicated and highly trained work force.  Most EMS operations have people coming in on fixed shifts and completing specific, task-oriented production schedules.  At EPIC, what makes this situation unusual is that everyone is trained to operate any piece of machinery and for any task on the floor.  This creates a situation where the entire work force is a fully independent and mobile asset available to tackle any given problem.  As such, people flow to the area of most urgent need such as when demand increases or when replenishment is needed.  A simple but straight-forward colored coded card system alerts workers to daily production requirements (green indicates business as usual  produce the next pull quantity; yellow indicates a higher priority such as an upside order, and; red cards are the highest priority, such as two bins are empty).  Manufacturing equipment is streamlined and made flexible so that it can handle any assembly needed, making utilization high and the cost per assembly low.  This includes utilizing state-of-the-art soldering machines and vapor phase reflow ovens from EPM in Switzerland, which enables very rapid changeovers on-the-fly.

A Satisfied Customer Base
How well does EPIC\'s manufacturing service work in practice?  EPIC has done an outstanding job in meeting our lean manufacturing initiatives and helping to support our Kanban system to meet customer demand states Travis Cline, Electronics Commodity Manager at Respironics, Inc., based in Murrysville, Pennsylvania.  The company sought out suppliers that would achieve its lean internal manufacturing goals and selected EPIC on a number of performance criteria. As a company, we only want to keep minimum inventory, and as a bin goes empty, they get it replenished very quickly.  This is all part of our Demand Flow Technology manufacturing setup. notes Cline.  Respironics uses EPIC\'s Norwalk, Ohio and Juarez, Mexico facilities for production and finds that these sites allow for a faster response than off-shore options.

Another customer, Ingersoll-Rand, runs a lean procurement operation in which EPIC maintains a minimum stocking level but responds to actual demand with replenishment planning. Michelle Stark, Supply Chain Manager, calls this program SOMI (Supplier Owned and Managed Inventory) whereby the inventory is owned by EPIC until the point of disbursement to the factory from the SOMI warehouse.  EPIC closely monitors Ingersoll-Rand\'s disbursement rate to get a true sense of demand and feeds their replenishment accordingly to maintain the minimum stocking level.  The SOMI program gives our operations a lot of flexibility states Stark.  Ingersoll-Rand no longer has exposure to expediting fees or inventory liability but the supplier gets quicker payment terms in exchange for the reduced liability and improved inventory turns she continues. Payments are processed weekly from a disbursement record.  The process is paperless because we don\'t provide a purchase order and the supplier doesn\'t provide an invoice.  EPIC has maintained a very high on-time delivery performance for Ingersoll-Rand through the implementation of this program while substantially increasing inventory turns. 

Attention to detail has emerged as one of the key success factors for EPIC and in its ability to execute at such a high level.  Just take a look at our cash conversion cycle which is probably the lowest in the industry  states John Sammut, President and CEO of EPIC.  Most CMs typically are in the 50s to 60s days whereas we are in the low 30s.  This means that we are giving our customers a level of flexibility and performance that tier ones and twos cant even begin to match.  This performance has translated into phenomenal growth over the last several years in a period when the overall EMS is contracting and consolidating.  Revenue for EPIC grew at a greater than 25% compounded annually over the past four years, and the company has business on the books to sustain this rate into 2004 according to EPICs Director of Business Development, Todd Baggett.  Moreover, the company has achieved a return on invested capital that most CMs in the industry can only dream about thereby bucking the trend that EMS is only an anemic, low-margin business that cannot be competitive in North America. 

What conclusions can we draw from this?  First, that innovation and profitability are not dead in the EMS business.  EPICs customers are obviously getting good value from its lean manufacturing service offering, otherwise, they would do it themselves or go to another supplier.  EPIC has found a way to give its customers superior performance, quicker turnaround time and a lower cost product offeringyet still make an attractive return on its sales.  Secondly, EMS production does not need to go off-shore or into China to be competitive.  This is a zero sum game in which suppliers are engaged in a feeding frenzy for fractional pennies.  The winners will be the ones that can survive on the lowest margin and there are many ambitious Chinese CDMs willing to play this game to the death.  A solution in North America has come from people willing to break away from the old paradigm of batch-oriented manufacturing and purchasing.  EPIC has defined a new model that gives them and maybe others a way to compete against low-cost, off-shore suppliers by being more efficient in all aspects of production.  While EPICs model may not suit every customer and every product situation, it is heartening to find at least one company in the industry that has found a unique way and methodology to succeed.  Necessity has once again shown to be the mother of all invention.



Abstract
The forecasting of product demand and the impact that it has for manufacturing is profound.  Yet forecasting is replete with false and unrealistic assumptions since people must \'guess\' demand based on estimated or real patterns of consumption.  The exercise of forecasting introduces unnatural and emotional hedges that get multiplied throughout the vendor supply chain.  What if forecasting could be eliminated and replaced with a \'real-time\' demand system that gave customers (and manufacturers) just what they wanted, when they wanted it?  Is it possible to develop a frictionless supply and manufacturing system that works in this way?  Apparently so, and there is at least one EMS supplier who has many happy customers to prove it.  This story is how one company is changing the face of electronics manufacturing and making forecasting on all levels of the supply chain, obsolete.
me.]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=10</link></item><item><title>The Worldwide Electronic Manufacturing Services Market, 5th Edition</title><description><![CDATA[The report begins with a forecast of worldwide electronics assembly value (cost of goods sold). This forecast is developed by looking at over 40 product segments. ETP estimates that total electronics assembly value was $810 billion in 2005 and will grow to $1.1 trillion in 2010. Fueled by this huge market, ETP believes that the EMS industry will grow from $190 billion in 2005 to $328 billion in 2010.

To support this conclusion, the report analyzes the EMS industry from several viewpoints. First, the report reviews the total market for electronics assembly. Second, the report examines details of the EMS industry, including a breakdown of the industry by company size. Third, the regional distribution of the EMS industry is presented. While this industry largely began in North America, Asia has become the dominant region. Finally, the report details the EMS industry by the key application markets that it serves.

After the industry analysis, the report focuses on EMS financial performance. The report compares companies on a variety of standard financial metrics. These metrics are combined into a weighted ranking which gives ETPs view of the relative performance of these companies.

The report concludes with profiles of selected CMs and ODMs from all parts of the world. These reviews summarize the market focus of each company and also present each company\'s financial performance statistics. The intent of these profiles is not to serve as a global directory, but rather as an indicator of current industry focus.]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=8</link></item><item><title>The Worldwide Communications Equipment Assembly Market</title><description><![CDATA[The report begins with an analysis of the 2005 communications equipment revenue of the world\'s top communications OEMs. The revenues for each OEM are detailed in a matrix of nine product segments and three regions. Regional revenue is presented on a where sold basis.

This OEM analysis then switches to an analysis of global communications equipment production in 2005. COGS for the top OEMs are detailed by the same nine product categories and three regions as provided for revenue. Regional COGS is given on a where assembled basis. The COGS data also includes a breakdown between outsourced and in-house manufacturing by OEM, product, and region.

Using the 2005 analysis as the baseline, the report next presents COGS forecasts for 2006 through 2010 by product segment, region, and outsourced versus in-house manufacturing. As the fortunes of individual companies are much too complex to predict, forecasts are not provided for individual OEMs.

Finally, the report presents profiles of the 49 OEMs used in the analysis. Each profile contains a brief qualitative analysis of the companys operations, accompanied by a table containing the quantitative data.]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=9</link></item><item><title>Nanotechnology Markets and Trends</title><description><![CDATA[As with any exciting topic, there is a lot of speculation and exaggerated estimates about the impact of nanotechnology over time. To help you evaluate the future directions of nanotechnology, Electronic Trend Publications is pleased to present, Nanotechnology Markets and Trends, a comprehensive worldwide market study on the trends, issues, and leading companies in nanotechnology.

This report is organized into seven chapters. Chapter 1, Introduction, outlines the scope, organization, and methodology for the report. Chapter 2, Executive Summary, presents top-level data from throughout the report.

Chapter 3, Worldwide Nanotechnology Funding, looks at government support and funding of nanotechnology research initiatives by country.

Chapter 4, Nanotechnology Materials, examines the basic building block elements and components that are used to construct integrated circuits, sensors, displays, and energy devices.  The chapter also quantifies and forecasts the total growth in nanotechnology materials spending over the next fifteen years.

Chapter 5, Nanotechnology and Electronics, examines how nanotechnology will impact leading industry segments such as integrated circuits, sensors, and display technology.  The chapter  quantifies and forecasts the total growth of nanotechnology in these key electronics markets over the next fifteen years.

Chapter 6, Nanotechnology and Energy, examines how nanotechnology will impact areas such as energy storage, generation, transmission, and conversion.

Chapter 7, Nanotechnology Metrology, looks at the leading tools and instruments used to develop nanotechnology materials and products.  The chapter also quantifies and forecasts the total growth in nanotechnology metrology over the next fifteen years.

Profiles of leading nanotechnology suppliers are provided in Chapters 47. These profiles provide a snap-shot of leading nanotechnology companies directions and products.]]></description><link>http://newventure.dfdemo.com/docshow.php?docu=13</link></item></channel></rss>