Industry News
General Dynamics has completed its acquisition of Newton, NC-based TriPoint Global Communications Inc., a privately held provider of ground-based satellite and wireless communication equipment and integration services for video, voice and data applications worldwide. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Modelithics Inc., Tampa, FL, and dBm Engineering Inc., Boulder, CO, have entered a strategic partnership to provide customers with combined services for measurement and modeling of high power transistors. The strength of the joint offering will address the stringent demands of power amplifier designers for improved characterization data and models for high power, nonlinear designs and simulations. In related news, Modelithics™ has been contracted by Dielectric Laboratories Inc. (DLI) to develop substrate-scalable models for its Opti-cap,® Milli-cap,® ultra high Q and other surface-mount capacitors. Modelithics will be distributing free S-parameters for the components on its Web site (www.modelithics. com), and will also offer Global Models™ that represent entire families of components on all common substrate types and thicknesses. The models will be distributed and supported along with future releases of Modelithics CLR Library™ software.
WJ Communications Inc. announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with Richardson Electronics for its rapidly expanding RFID product line. Under the agreement Richardson will operate as a worldwide distributor and value-added sales channel of WJ’s RFID product portfolio including the recently announced MPR 6000 and various derivative products. The agreement includes cooperation in sales efforts, joint promotions, Marcom and technical support, and leveraging Richardson Electronics’ strong applications engineering capabilities.
Rosenberger LEONI Site Solutions (RLSS), a global supplier of cable, connectors and accessories for the telecom industry, has announced a North America Alliance agreement with Dupont Material Inc. (DMI) for distribution and fulfillment services. Under the agreement DMI will provide fulfillment and site pack services to North American customers of RLSS’s coaxial cables, connectors, jumper assemblies, lightning protection, grounding kits and attachment tools and hardware for connections from the antenna down to the base station.
M2 Global Technology Ltd. announced that the company will be closing its Tampa, FL sales office and consolidating all sales and marketing functions into its worldwide headquarters in San Antonio, TX. Effective immediately, all sales related activity should be directed to sales@m2global.com or call (210) 561-4894.
VXI Technology announced the opening of the company’s European-based business development center. The center is located in Northamptonshire, UK, and will provide a focal point for its European based sales, marketing and support operations.
Elcoteq Network Corp. will initiate manufacturing operations in Manaus, Brazil. From this facility, Elcoteq’s initial focus will be manufacturing and supply chain services for communications technology customers, with particular emphasis on the terminal products business. Elcoteq has established in Brazil a new wholly-owned subsidiary, Elcoteq da Amazònia Ltda.
SiGe Semiconductor unveiled its plans to expand the company’s operations in Asia in response to increasing demand for its wireless power amplifiers and RF front-end solutions among consumer electronics manufacturers. This announcement comes as the electronics supply chain continues to undergo a transition with production moving to mainland China.
Hittite Microwave Corp. has relocated operations to a larger facility at 20 Alpha Road in Chelmsford, MA. All phone and fax numbers will remain the same. The new 72,000 square foot (6,689 m2) facility is more than double the size of the previous location, providing added manufacturing and design space including room for future expansion.
Auriga Measurement Systems LLC has moved to a new 8,000 square foot facility. The new address is 650 Suffolk Street, Suite 205, Lowell, MA 01854. The new phone number is (978) 441-1117.
When Amplifier Research (AR) changed its name to AR Worldwide several months ago, it was a move that signified a renewed commitment to the company’s global customer base, and a corporate restructuring to better serve those customers. Under the new structure, AR Worldwide functions as the corporate “parent” of AR Worldwide RF/Microwave Instrumentation located in Souderton, PA, and AR Worldwide Modular RF located in Bothell, WA.
Aeroflex Inc. announced it has integrated National Instruments’ NI TestStand™ Development System into its high performance synthetic microwave test systems. NI TestStand is a test management environment that provides a standard test sequencing capability for a variety of test applications, enabling Aeroflex customers to develop their own test sequences using an industry standard platform. It is now available as an option for the Aeroflex TRM 1000C and the STI 1000C synthetic broadband microwave test systems. In related news, Aeroflex/KDI-Integrated Products announced the appointment of a new sales representative firm to serve customers in northern California. Advanced Communications Sales, established in 1994, is headquartered in San Jose, CA.
Agilent Technologies Inc. and VXI Technology Inc. introduced LXI, a next-generation, LAN-based modular platform standard for automated test systems. LXI (LAN extensions for instrumentation) combines built-in measurement science and PC-standard I/O connectivity from rack-and-stack instruments with the modularity and size reduction of cardcage-based systems. LXI’s compact, flexible package, high speed I/O and reliable measurements meet the needs of R&D and manufacturing engineers developing electronics for the aerospace/defense, automotive, industrial, medical and consumer electronics markets.
RFI Global Services Ltd. (RFI) has taken delivery of a Rohde and Schwarz TS8950G test platform. Representing an investment of over €1 M, the system will support quad-band 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz GSM/GPRS, EDGE and AMR. This additional test hardware and software will increase RFI’s testing capacity and shorten lead times helping to reduce handset manufacturers’ time to market.
ANADIGICS Inc. announced that the company is shipping production volumes of its AWT6108 InGaP HBT power amplifiers to Truetel Telecommunications Technologies Co. Ltd., a wireless products manufacturer in China.
Tampa Microwave, a manufacturer of complex microwave products to the military and commercial markets, announced that the company has been certified to the latest ISO 9001:2000 standard through International Management Systems.
Lenthor Engineering, a California-based designer, manufacturer and assembler of Rigid-flex and Flex printed circuit boards, has been approved by DSCC for fabrication of defense related Rigid-flex and Flex interconnect printed circuit boards falling under the guidelines and requirements of MIL-PRF 50884.
Vector Fields Ltd., an Oxford-based company, which spun-off from the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Contracts
EMS Technologies Inc. announced that it has received a $5 M contract from the Canadian Space Agency to design the fine guidance sensor for the James Webb Space Telescope to be launched by NASA in August 2011. In related news, EMS announced that its EMS’ Space and Technology/Atlanta division has been selected by Northrop Grumman to develop an extremely high frequency satellite communications antenna system for the US Air Force’s B-2 Stealth Bomber. The antenna system will enable worldwide high data rate military satellite communications between the B-2 and MILSTAR and Advanced EHF satellites.
Renaissance Electronics Corp. received a follow-up order in support of the US Navy’s F-18 E/F aircraft. This follow-on order further strengthens the company’s commitment to the defense market and support for those serving in the military branches. This isolator, initially developed by the acquisition, P&H Laboratories, is used in the radar section of the aircraft.
Financial News
Provigent Inc., a provider of system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions for broadband wireless transmission, announced it has closed a third round of financing in the amount of $8 M. With this round the total amount of funding raised stands at $19 M.
American Technical Ceramics Corp. reports sales of $19 M for the fourth quarter ended June 30, 2004, compared to $13.1 M for the same period in 2003. Net income was $3.1 ($0.36/per diluted share), compared to a net loss of $210,000 ($0.03/per diluted share) for the fourth quarter of last year.
Merrimac Industries Inc. reports sales of $7.9 M for the second quarter of 2004 ended July 3, 2004, compared to $6.6 M for the same period in 2003. Net income was $444,000 ($0.14/per diluted share), compared to a net loss of $475,000 ($0.15/per share) for the second quarter of last year.
Amphenol, a Wallingford-based producer of electronic and fiber optic components, announced that it plans to sell 6.7 million shares in a secondary public offering of stock. At its current market price, the offering would raise a total of about $198 M.
Personnel
Magnolia Broadband Inc. named Osmo Hautanen, a former Nokia executive, to its board. Hautanen will advise and support Magnolia’s efforts to further develop and maintain the company in providing its handset diversity technology to wireless carriers and industry OEMs. During his 18 year tenure as an executive at Nokia, Hautanen was instrumental in developing the US and Latin American markets. He also served as the CEO of Fenix LLC, the holding company for Union Pacific Corp.’s extensive portfolio of technology assets.
TelASIC Communications announced the addition of Syrus Madavi to its board of directors. Madavi brings executive-level experience in analog, mixed-signal and communications semiconductor technologies to the company, most recently as president and chief operating officer at JDS Uniphase. Prior to that, he was senior vice president of the high performance analog business at Texas Instruments, where he managed more than $1 B of profit and loss serving several markets.
Adele MacLachlan
Pascall Electronics Ltd., part of the Intelek group, announced the appointment of Adele MacLachlan as sales and marketing director. Formerly the European director of sales for K&L Microwave Inc., MacLachlan returns to Pascall to head the sales and marketing team responsible for global sales. MacLachlan has over 15 years experience selling to the aerospace, defense and communication market sectors.
NEC America Inc. announced the selection of Dwayne Sawyer as a regional sales manager for the company’s radio communications systems division. Sawyer’s responsibilities include overseeing the sales activities in the southeast region for all microwave and radio products and services, with an emphasis on the promotion of new products to generate a continuous flow of sales from both existing customers and new business leads.
MI Technologies announced that it has appointed Jim Soltys as strategic accounts manager for North America. Soltys is responsible for strategic planning and business development for a number of MI Technologies’ key accounts. Prior to joining MI Technologies, Soltys held a number of engineering and business management positions at Agilent Technologies.
Rep Appointments
Jersey Microwave has appointed the representatives of May Technology (www.maytechnology.com.) to cover the New England territory including Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut, excluding Fairfield County.
Microwave Filter Co. announced the appointment of two exclusive representatives. C-Wave will cover southern California and can be contacted by telephone at (310) 318-3788. Gruber & Associates Inc. will handle Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee, and can be contacted by telephone at (770) 321-2495.
Trompeter, an international supplier of coaxial interconnects for the telecom, television broadcast, mil/aero and instrumentation markets, has announced that Electronic Marketing Associates Inc. (EMA) will have expanded representation into the Carolinas with the completion of EMA’s buyout of rep firm CPF Atlantic. A veteran of more than 30 years in the industry, EMA has been representing Trompeter in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee.
Web site
W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. (Gore), a supplier of high performance cable assemblies, expands its customer service offerings through the launch of the company’s electronic products on-line store. The Gore electronic products available to purchase through the store include the GORE™ CX4 high performance cable assemblies and the GORE™ InfiniBand™ cable assemblies.