Industry News
AWR, a leader in high-frequency design software, expanded its relationship with Rohde & Schwarz, a leading test equipment manufacturer, to provide expanded sales channels for AWR products such as Microwave Office® in China, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia. The expanded sales distribution partnership will boost AWR’s presence and the use of its software in the Asia Pacific region, and takes effect immediately. The two companies recently announced a similar agreement in Japan, and the expanded partnership further strengthens this relationship.
Hesse & Knipps, a manufacturer of high-speed, fine pitch wedge bonders for the back-end semiconductor industry, will partner with MEW Consulting, recently founded by Michael Whitehead, to provide technical support for third-party wedge and wire bonding equipment being phased out by the original manufacturers. Through the partnership, Hesse & Knipps and MEW Consulting will provide various support services including: high level technical and process/applications support; wire/wedge bonding equipment repairs; automatic wedge bonder rentals that protect against extended machine down-time situations; training programs; and maintenance programs.
ETS-Lindgren announced the opening of its new Acoustic Research Laboratory featuring state-of-the-art chambers for acoustic test services. With its hemi-anechoic chamber, two reverberation chambers, impedance tubes and supporting acoustic test equipment and software, the laboratory now offers product noise emission testing and structural/architectural acoustic testing. Acoustic field testing services are also available upon request. The laboratory is ISO 17025 accredited under the US Department of Commerce NIST National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP).
Emerson has strengthened its Connectivity Solutions portfolio by bringing together the Midwest Microwave, Vitelec Electronics, Johnson Components and Stratos Optical brands under one new trading name, Emerson Network Power Connectivity Solutions Ltd. The original brand names will continue to be used. Under the new Connectivity Solutions umbrella the combined product lines will deliver RF, microwave and fibre optic interconnect components and assemblies for wireless communications, telephony and data networks, CATV, defence, security systems, healthcare and industrial facilities.
Ducommun Inc. announced that it has acquired DynaBil Industries Inc., a privately held company based in Coxsackie, NY. DynaBil is a provider of titanium and aluminum structural components and assemblies for commercial and military aerospace applications. DynaBil’s sales in calendar year 2008 are expected to be approximately $43 M. The purchase price for DynaBil was approximately $46.5 M in cash and notes, and remains subject to adjustment based on a closing balance sheet. DynaBil will become a part of Ducommun AeroStructures Inc. (DAS), an existing Ducommun subsidiary. The close similarities between DAS and DynaBil, especially in the areas of manufacturing, engineering, supply chain management, and sales and marketing, benefit both businesses by broadening their combined capabilities as a leading supplier of aerostructures to the aerospace industry.
Contract
Comtech Telecommunications Corp. announced that its Maryland-based subsidiary, Comtech Mobile Datacom Corp., received an order for $282.0 M under its Movement Tracking System, or MTS contract, with the US Army. This order is the largest single order in Comtech’s history. Total orders received to date against the company’s $605.1 M IDIQ MTS contract increased to $426.2 M.
New Market Entry
Reynard Corp., a global supplier of optical components and custom thin film coatings, announced custom photolithography services to manufacture patterned optics. The company’s contact exposing technique can achieve geometries as small as 5 microns utilizing a variety of thin film coating materials. Metallic or dielectric materials are selected based on the application’s transparent, reflective and/or conductive opto-electrical requirements. Patterns can be applied to most substrate materials, including plastic sheeting.
Personnel
Inphi® Corp., a fabless, high-speed analog semiconductor company, announced the addition of Tsugio Makimoto as an advisor for the company in Japan. Makimoto is well recognized as one of the leaders in the semiconductor industry. After receiving his MSEE degree from Stanford University and his PhD degree from the University of Tokyo, Makimoto spent most of his career with Hitachi Ltd. in the field of semiconductors in various roles, including senior executive and managing director in 1997. In addition, Makimoto held a corporate senior executive vice president position at Sony.
JPSA Laser announced the appointment of Charles E. Cuneo as its new president, based at the company’s headquarters in Manchester, NH. Cuneo takes over responsibilities as president from Jefferey P. Sercel, founder, who will continue at the company as chairman and chief technology officer. Cuneo was most recently executive vice president of ERG Global, a company providing interim and tempo-rary executive management resources to companies worldwide. Prior to this position, he was COO of Gibson Guitars of Nashville, TN. He has served as president and chief operating officer for software company NeuMath Inc. He was also president and chief operating officer for Unitek Benchmark, a manufacturer of hermetic sealing systems for microelectronics, a subsidiary of laser manufacturer Unitek Miyachi Corp. Cuneo has held management positions for several other technology companies in the Northeast, including Waters, Millipore Corp., ADE Corp., Credence Systems and Teradyne Inc.
Cadence Design Systems Inc. announced the promotion of three senior leaders to executive management positions in R&D and worldwide sales and field operations. Chi-Ping Hsu was named senior vice president of research and development for the Implementation Products Group. Hsu has previously served as chief strategist of products and technologies and corporate vice president and general manager of both synthesis solutions and digital IC implementation. Nimish Modi was named senior vice president of research and development for the Front End Group with responsibility for products and solutions in the areas of logic design, systems design, verification, SoC IP integration and hardware/software co-validation. Prior to joining Cadence in 2006, Modi spent 18 years at Intel Corp., where he was most recently a vice president in the Enterprise Platforms Group with responsibility for the company’s server CPU development. Tom Cooley was named senior vice president of Worldwide Field Operations. Cooley is responsible for worldwide sales, product marketing and technical field operations. Cooley is an EDA industry veteran with over 23 years of experience in sales and marketing. He joined Cadence in 1995 and has held various positions, including leading the company’s sales activities in the regions of North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.
Linear Technology Corp., an independent manufacturer of high performance linear integrated circuits, an-nounced the promotion of Tony Armstrong to the position of director of product marketing for Power Products. In his expanded role, Armstrong will have responsibility for the management of all aspects of product marketing for both integrated circuits and power µModule™ regulators, including product pricing, advertising and related marketing campaign development. Armstrong brings 27 years of industry experience to his new role, including over eight years at Linear as product marketing manager. Prior to joining Linear, he held marketing, management and sales positions with various companies, including Siliconix, Semtech, Fairchild and Intel.
Renaissance Electronics announced the promotion of Charles Nashef to international sales manager. Nashef has over 16 years in business development for manufactured components on a national and international level with extensive experience working with the aerospace, defense, telecom, industrial and medical industries. Nashef manages the international markets for all of Renaissance product offering along with leading the marketing campaign for both national and international.
MI Technologies, a worldwide supplier of microwave test and measurement products, systems and service, has appointed Charles Liang of Duluth, GA, to the position of strategic account manager for Asia. In this new position, Liang will be responsible for the company’s new business efforts for the Asian region working with in-country partners and the MI Technologies’ engineering and business resources to accelerate the growth of the company’s business in the region. Prior to this appointment, Liang served as a program manager for MI Technologies being responsible for the profit and loss of key initiatives and coordinating a number of successful test and measurement installations in the United States and Asia.
Rep Appointments
Technical Communities, a service provider for technical organizations that sell to US government agencies, military organizations and prime federal contractors, announced a new exclusive government services partnership agreement with LadyBug Technologies, a manufacturer of the PowerSensor+™ line of “no-cal, no-zero” USB power-measurement instruments. The agreement authorizes Technical Communities to provide government organizations with LadyBug Technologies’ PowerSensor+ line of miniaturized USB power meter-sensors.
Digi-Key Corp. announced that it has recently signed an agreement for the worldwide distribution of Murata Power Solutions products. Murata Power Solutions is a manufacturer of DC-DC converters, AC-DC converters, high-reliability power supplies, digital panel meters, magnetics and data acquisition devices for applications that include telecommunications, computing, industrial and other high-tech applications.
Mouser Electronics Inc. announced it has signed a distribution agreement with Hirose Electric Co., a specialty manufacturer of high-quality connectors. Mouser has access to Hirose’s full product portfolio and is stocking rectangular, circular and coaxial connectors, as well as FFC/FPC connectors.
Lorch Microwave announced it has appointed Sands Technical Sales located in Chandler, AZ, as the exclusive representative for all RF and microwave products in Arizona and New Mexico.
Carlisle Interconnect Technologies, a division of Carlisle Companies Incorporated, announced the appointment of Tactron Elektronik as its International Sales Representative in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Founded in 1984, Tactron Elektronik focuses on the military and aerospace, telecommunication, safety technology, fibre optic and software industries.