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Focused efforts on the company‘s main markets and a more efficient organisation lead to improved profitability and a strong cash flow in the quarter.
“Our key customers are investing in innovation and new products, resulting in a positive development for a technology company like us,” says Kenneth Ragnvaldsen, CEO of Data Respons ASA.

Operating revenue for the second quarter was NOK 219 million (223). EBITDA was NOK 13.3 million (10.3) and EBIT amounted to NOK 12.3 million (9.2). The order intake for the period was NOK 198 million (195). Operating cash flow was NOK 14.8 million.

Operating revenue for the first half of 2013 was NOK 413 million (449). EBITDA was NOK 24.3 million (19.6) and EBIT was NOK 22.3 million (17.4). The order intake for the period was NOK 424 million (413).The group’s order backlog at the end of the quarter was NOK 645 million.

Focused efforts producing results

“Data Respons has focused on its core business and become a more cost-effective organisation which has resulted in improved profitability in the first half. Both business segments are performing well. We have are experiencing high utilisation among our specialists and increased products and solutions deliveries,” says Ragnvaldsen.

Expecting a good year

“In a challenging macro environment in Europe, we are experiencing good activity at our key customers in our most important markets. The positive development in the services segment combined with a solid order backlog in the products & solutions segment provides a good starting point to 2013,” concludes Ragnvaldsen.

1 NOK = 0.12626 EUR (2013-07-12 Oanda)

Read more: http://evertiq.com/news/24780

“To reflect that we are a Graphic Group company, we have changed the registered name from Printca Denmark A/S to PrintcaGRAPHIC A/S.”
There are many changes to be announced at Danish PCB manufacturer Printca. No only the name change has occurred during the last few weeks, new employees have arrived too. Palle Lund Pedersen has joined the company as new QA manager. Palle is coming with a background from engineering and quality management in PCB assembly technologies at Terma and Grundfos. Kenneth Thyssen Christophersen has joined the company as Quality Engineer. Kenneth will focus on development and documentation of procedures and work instructions and implementation of new technologies.

New design specification for Space PCB’s

Together with ESA, other PCB manufacturers and Space OEM’s, the PCB manufacturer has been working on a new detailed design specification for high reliability printed circuit boards. This define limits for features used in boards that are released to ECSS specifications. A current draft version is under review, the company announced.

Read more: http://evertiq.com/news/32699

Emerson reaches agreement to sell majority interest in Embedded Computing & Power business to Platinum Equity.
Emerson has agreed to sell a 51 percent stake in its embedded computing and power business to Platinum Equity. Emerson will receive approximately USD 300 million in cash and will retain a 49 percent noncontrolling interest in the business, which will operate as an independent company.

“After extensive consideration, we have found an arrangement to exit this business in a manner that maximizes its value for our shareholders,” said Emerson Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David N. Farr. “The embedded computing and power business is a technology leader in the industry it serves, but no longer fits strategically in our portfolio. The transaction with Platinum will allow us to immediately focus on our core businesses while also participating in the upside from repositioning the business as it focuses on growth as an independent company.”

With revenue of approximately USD 1.4 billion in 2012, Emerson’s embedded computing and power business, based in Carlsbad, Calif., that designs and supplies technologies used in communications and computing equipment and other applications.

“We have forged a strong partnership with Emerson, coming together in a way that will create success for everyone,” said Platinum Equity Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Tom Gores. “We will build on the foundation established under Emerson to further position the business as a strong and innovative competitor in the marketplace.”

The transaction is expected to close in approximately three to six months, upon securing regulatory approvals in various countries.

Read more: http://evertiq.com/news/32155

Electrolube, manufacturer of electro-chemicals, has appointed Arthur Foxton as the company’s new Technical Sales Engineer.
The appointment complements Electrolube’s strategic objectives to expand its sales team and overall investment in people, at a time of growth within the company. As the new Sales Engineer, Arthur will be responsible for actively maintaining customer relationships across the UK, driving sales to further develop Electrolube’s UK customer base and increasing the company’s market share in the sale of conformal coatings, Thermal Management Solutions, Resins, Contact Lubricants, Cleaning solutions and Service and Maintenance Aids.

Commenting on his appointment, Arthur said, “From the start, I’ve really enjoyed the versatility of the work and getting to know our existing UK customers. I’ve spent a large portion of my time having training sessions, visiting customers and understanding how they use our products. I’m thoroughly enjoying my time at the company due to the varied customer base, the people and the purposeful drive of the sales team to provide solutions that solve customer problems effectively.”

Read more: http://evertiq.com/news/32675

Effective immediately, Mr Daniel Puschmann will assume the position of CEO of GS Swiss PCB AG.
Since 2004, Daniel Puschmann has headed the marketing and business development segment of the Swiss company. He was previously active as development engineer at the Japanese company Medoman (a manufacturer of robots and manipulators) and as international key account manager for MIXPAC (a manufacturer of mixing and dispensing systems) in the medical technology field.

“GS Swiss PCB maintains a leading role as a successful manufacturer of highly miniaturized and highly reliable PCBs, with clients in Europe, the US and Asia. I want to drive this success forward, particularly in the US and in the field of implants and miniaturization, in order to further entrench our market leadership. We want to expand our competitiveness and exploit our head start in various fields, but especially in prototype design”, says Daniel Puschmann in describing his future mission.

Read more: http://evertiq.com/news/32665

Chip manufacturer Intel looks to invest in European PCB manufacturer AT&S.
“Intel Capital Corporation (a subsidiary of Intel Corporation) intends to place a bid to purchase up to EUR 5 million in new AT&S shares being made available in the pre-placement prior to the rights offering although there is of course no guarantee that it will receive any shares as a result of its bid”, a statement reads.

AT&S decided to launch an offering of up to 15,527,412 shares, consisting of a pre-placement, a rights offering and a global offering, subject to the approval of a prospectus by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (Finanzmarktaufsicht) anticipated for today (September 17, 2013). The Management Board of AT&S, with the Supervisory Board’s approval, has resolved to issue up to 12,950,000 new shares, representing 50% of the existing share capital and to offer for sale up to 2,577,412 treasury shares, representing 9.95% of the existing share capital.

AT&S intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to finance its planned expansion, i.e. to expand its business to include the production of IC substrates, to reinforce the group’s financial flexibility and for general corporate purposes.

Read more: http://evertiq.com/news/32644

Neways has been forced to cease all production activities at its subsidiary Neways Electronics Kassel (NEK) in Germany following a major fire.
The fire started early in the evening on Friday. Thanks to the employees quick response and efforts, the local emergency services and the fire service were able to get the fire under control as quickly as possible.

The fire did not result in any personal injuries, no toxic substances escaped and there was no danger to people living in the surrounding area. As a result of the fire, Neways has been forced to shut down all production activities at NEK, the company writes in a press release.

However, the company believes that the production and storage spaces are completely lost.

All production activities for NEK clients will be transferred as quickly as possible to other operating companies within the Neways Group, the company states.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Read more: http://evertiq.com/news/32618

Flextronics’ new manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas, which will provide final assembly and customisation for Motorola Mobility’s Moto X smartphone, has officially opened.
“Conventional wisdom said it wasn’t possible. Experts said that costs are too high in the US; that the US has lost its manufacturing capability; and that the US labor force is too inflexible. And it’s true that most manufacturing in the consumer electronics industry moved offshore over a decade ago,” Dennis Woodside, CEO of Motorola, wrote in a blog post.

However, as we know, Motorola did end up choosing to manufacture their flagship product back home in the US. And as a result of the partnership between Motorola and Flextronics, more than 2’000 new jobs will be created in the state.

The Moto X is the first smartphone designed, engineered and assembled in the United States. Media reports suggest a manufacturing output of 100’000 units per week at the new facility, however, this is just the first phase.

Read more: http://evertiq.com/news/32566

Apple unveiled two new iPhone models, the new flagship iPhone 5s and the lower-priced iPhone 5c, along with the improved iOS 7 mobile operating system.
“At an unsubsidized cost of $549, the iPhone 5c remains at the same price point as the existing mid-range model in Apple’s smartphone line, the iPhone 4S,” said Francis Sideco, director for consumer electronics and communications technologies at IHS. “In light of this pricing, the 5c appears to be a midrange product that cannot significantly expand the available market for the iPhone line to lower-income buyers. As a result, the arrival of the 5c will not spur a major increase in iPhone sales in the second half of 2013 compared to previous expectations.”

Based on an analysis of today’s announcement, IHS has chosen not to upgrade its forecast of overall Apple iPhone shipments in the second half. IHS at this time is maintaining its prediction of 86.1 million iPhone shipments in the second half, up 25 percent from 68.7 million in the first half and a 15 percent increase from 61.1 million in the first half of 2012.

“If Apple had hit a $350 to $400 unsubsidized price range for the iPhone 5c, as some had speculated, the company might have had a chance to expand its smartphone shipments beyond what we originally expected in the second half. Even at a subsidized price of $99 with a two-year contract, the 5c will not spur sales because it does not materially expand Apple’s addressable market past the level we had already taken into account.”

Apple will ship 158.9 million iPhones for the entire year of 2013, compared to a forecast total for the smartphone market of 1.1 billion units.

One factor that could cause IHS to boost its 2013 iPhone forecast is if China Mobile decides to offer the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s, both of which support the TD-LTE standard used by the Chinese state-run carrier. China Mobile has a vast mobile base of 710 million subscriptions, offering a massive growth opportunity for Apple.

While Apple did not address the low end of the market with its announcement today, the 5c represents a major departure from its previous product strategy, which could improve the company’s competitiveness.

“With the new models, Apple is taking steps to bolster its share of the global smartphone market in the face of rising competition,” said Ian Fogg, director for mobile and telecoms at IHS. “Alongside innovation with the iPhone design and features with iOS7, Apple is now also innovating at lower price points, too. The iPhone 5c is the first time Apple has built a fresh handset design for the midrange smartphone market segment. By using a visibly different design for the iPhone 5c, rather than repurposing an old flagship, Apple is minimizing the risk of cannibalization of its more expensive iPhone models.”

These new models and the improvements in the iOS7 software are critical for Apple because the iPhone is facing increased competition with Samsung, Sony, HTC and LG, which are all releasing strong smartphone flagships in 2013. Notably, Apple’s portfolio lacks large-screen smartphone models with 5-inch 1080p displays.

But while other smartphone makers may have stereotyped Apple as a competitor only in the premium segment, Apple is choosing to take the battle to their home turf by expanding the aspirations of the new iPhone model. Now, new iPhone models will compete head-to-head with many more smartphone models from these rivals. Previously, competitors only encountered new iPhone opposition at the premium end of the market and competed with an older former flagship model in this segment.

The new security measures Apple is adding into iOS7 and the 5s will make the iPhone an even better platform for monetization. The fingerprint sensor on the new 5s helps make the iPhone a safer device for users to entrust with financial details as well as helping users to safely buy App Store apps. Apple is also making it harder for thieves to bypass “Find my iPhone” and “Remote wipe” because users now need an Apple ID and password to turn them off.

The iPhone 5c and Apple’s new operator deal in Japan with market leader NTT DoCoMo slightly increases the addressable market for the iPhone. The iPhone 5c’s improved 4G LTE band support will also make it more attractive to European operators than the older iPhone 5, which supported only one European LTE band: 1800Mhz.

Alongside new iPhone models, Apple is also reimagining the experience for existing iPhone owners with iOS7. The new iPhone operating system significantly strengthens the appeal of the iPhone with many new features alongside the visual transformation. Most notable is improved location support with better local recommendations and a new highly organized notifications tray, better background app multitasking and sophisticated photo functionality. Importantly, iOS 7’s new variable font size setting prepares the ground for future larger-screen iPhone models.

“The updates that Apple makes to its iPhone line are necessary for Apple’s success in the mobile handset market in 2013, but they are not sufficient for the longer term,” Fogg warned. “Apple will need to innovate significantly in 2014 with both improved software and new iPhone hardware to counter the growing threat from Android smartphones and ensure that Apple’s mobile success continues.”

Read more: http://evertiq.com/news/32558