South Africa
Electronic Industry Supplies has redesigned its website (www.eispty.co.za) to make it easier for customers to browse features such as products, agencies and contact details. It also provides quick links directly to suppliers’ websites and the facility to submit product enquiries electronically.
The buoyant South African electric motors market will witness a high compound annual growth rate over the long term due to the resilient domestic economy and the national drive for energy-efficient products, according to a new study by Frost & Sullivan, which estimates that the South African electric motors market earned revenues of $138,7 million in 2007 and estimates this to reach $332,9 million in 2014. Manufacturers in this large and highly concentrated market operate primarily in one product area – the AC induction squirrel cage segment. While their biggest applications are in the metal and mining, process, machine building and automotive and transport industries, motors also play a significant role in all production processes in other sectors of the economy such as food processing, timber processing, light industry, agriculture, building and construction, printing and many others.
Overseas
Business
Following a recent announcement that it will cut its workforce by 35%, Spansion has filed a voluntary petition for reorganisation under chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code as part of its strategy to strengthen its financial position and focus its business for long-term success. The company’s strategic plan is designed to restructure its burdensome debt obligations and intensify its focus on market segments with greater profit potential. Each of Spansion’s US subsidiaries also simultaneously filed chapter 11 petitions. In February, the company’s Japanese subsidiary also entered into a proceeding under that country’s Corporate Reorganisation Law to obtain protection from its creditors.
Wind River has reported results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2009, ended 31 January. Revenues for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 were $88,4 million, compared with $84,3 million reported in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, an increase of 5%. Net loss for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009 was $4,4 million, including a goodwill impairment charge of $12,2 million, compared to a net loss of $2,0 million in the fourth quarter a year ago. Net loss per diluted share for the quarter was $0,06, compared to a net loss per diluted share of $0,02 in the fourth quarter a year ago. For fiscal year 2009, revenues were $359,8 million, compared to $328,6 million reported in fiscal year 2008, an increase of 9%. Net income for fiscal year 2009 was $10,8 million or $0,13 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $2,4 million or $0,03 per diluted share in fiscal year 2008.
Reporting on financial results for the half-year ended 21 December 2008, Altium recorded sales of $27,2 million, an increase of 18% compared to the same period a year ago. Revenue also increased, by 14% to reach $26,7 million. EBITDA was $3,7 million, compared to a negative EBITDA of $0,6 million a year ago. Net profit after tax was $740 000, compared to a loss of $1,9 million a year ago. The company saw its biggest gains coming from the greater China region (including Hong Kong and Taiwan) where sales were 55% higher than in the same period last year.
National Semiconductor has announced that it will eliminate 850 positions with immediate effect, in order to reduce expenses, and plans to consolidate its manufacturing facilities, which will impact an additional 875 positions over the next several quarters. These moves were announced at the same time the company reported its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2009, which ended 1 March. Sales were $292 million and net income was $21,1 million, or 9 cents per diluted share. In National’s second quarter of fiscal 2009, the company reported $422 million in sales and $36 million in net income or 16 cents per diluted share. Compared to last year, sales decreased approximately 36% from the $453 million reported in the third quarter of fiscal 2008, and earnings per diluted share declined from the 29 cents recorded one year ago.
Avago Technologies has reported financial results for its first quarter of fiscal year 2009. Revenue was $368 million, a decline of 17,7% when compared with the previous quarter, and down 8,5% from the same quarter last year. Gross margin was $143 million, or 38,9% of sales. This compares with a gross margin of $168 million, or 37,6% last quarter. Net income of $6 million compares with net income of $18 million last quarter.
Cypress Semiconductor announced that revenue for the 2008 fourth quarter was $165,6 million, down 26% from $222,7 million for the prior quarter, and down 20% from $206,9 million for the year-ago period. Cypress recorded a GAAP net loss of $424,4 million in the 2008 fourth quarter, or a diluted net loss per share of $2,94. This includes non-cash charges of $357 million for goodwill impairment and $31,1 million for stock-based compensation expenses. This compares with last quarter’s diluted net loss per share of $0,16. GAAP diluted earnings per share in the year-ago fourth quarter was $0,01. For the fiscal year 2008, Cypress posted total revenue of $766,3 million, a decrease of 7% from fiscal year 2007 revenue of $821,6 million. On a GAAP basis, Cypress’s fiscal year 2008 diluted net loss per share was $2,93, compared with diluted earnings per share of $2,30 in 2007.
Revenue for Molex’s second financial quarter was $666,7 million, a decrease of 20,8% from the same period last fiscal year, and 20,5% from the immediately previous quarter. Net loss was $87,2 million, or $0,50 per share, compared to net income of $59,2 million, or $0,33 per share in the same quarter last year. Included in the quarter results was a pretax restructuring charge of $39,8 million ($29,7 million after tax or approximately $0,17 per share), relating to a previously announced restructuring programme. Also included was a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $93,1 million, or approximately $0,53 per share, related to a previous acquisition in the transportation division.
Companies
Microchip announced that it has acquired Hi-Tech Software, a provider of development tools for embedded systems based in Australia. Best known for its high-performance ANSI C compilers, featuring the optimising, whole-program compilation technology, Omniscient Code Generation, Hi-Tech has been a third-party provider of C compilers for Microchip’s 8-, 16- and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers and dsPIC digital signal controllers for over a decade. The terms of the deal are confidential, and the deal is expected to be immediately accretive to Microchip’s earnings.
US semiconductor maker Ramtron has entered into a foundry services agreement with IBM. The companies plan to install Ramtron’s F-RAM semiconductor process technology in IBM’s Burlington, Vermont, advanced wafer manufacturing facility. Once installed, the new foundry supply will serve as a foundation for the introduction of new and cost effective high-performance F-RAM semiconductor products. Ramtron expects to generate first production wafers during 2010 on the IBM 0,18 micron wafer manufacturing process. IBM will become Ramtron’s third foundry supplier for its F-RAM semiconductor products, along with Fujitsu and Texas Instruments.
NXP has sold its mobile services business to Gemalto for an undisclosed sum. The related unit based in France will continue to develop and market software and service solutions compliant with the MIFARE4Mobile interface specifications which manage MIFARE-based applications in near field communication (NFC) mobile devices.
Industry
Worldwide sales of semiconductors were $15,3 billion in January, a decline of 28,6% compared to January 2008 sales of $21,5 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) has reported. Sales declined by 11,9% from December 2008 when sales were $17,4 billion. According to the report, sales declined across the entire range of semiconductor products, as sales of important demand drivers such as personal computers, cell phones, automobiles and consumer items remained under pressure.
Owing to the current global economic crisis, the outlook for automotive electronics near term is not good and it is even worse for technology suppliers supporting this segment. Worldwide automotive semiconductor sales reached just over $20 billion in 2008 and this year Databeans is expecting a contraction of 25% with recovery back to the $20 billion level predicted to occur in 2012. This recovery will be driven by the increasing electronic content in vehicles and the continuing support for R&D, a lifeline to the automotive semiconductor industry, while production is on life support. Databeans estimates that the percentage of electronic content in vehicles reached 13%. In 2009, that percentage is expected to be 13,5% and 14,8% by 2012. Beneficiaries of this rise will be suppliers of microcontrollers, analog ICs and sensors primarily, many of which are already at the top of the leader board in automotive semiconductor revenue share.
Technology
Nanoscale lasers promise intriguing applications like superfast communications and data handling, and optical microchips for instant chemical analysis. Xiang Zhang of the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and physicist Kerry Vahala of CalTech led a research team to a breakthrough in laser miniaturisation with a silver-lined silica microcavity. Quantised oscillations of the metal’s free-electron gas coupled with photons to form plasma polaritons, which pushed optical waves in a continual circle around the surface of the smooth, spherical cavity at low power loss. The result of this 'whispering gallery' effect is said to be an order of magnitude better quality than any previously achieved by a nanolaser.
A novel motion sensor developed by the Fraunhofer Institutes for Applied Polymer Research and for Computer Architecture and Software Technology could provide more security in future, enabling window panes and glass doors to detect movements thanks to a special coating. If anything changes in front of the pane, or someone sneaks up to it, an alarm signal is triggered. The glass is coated with a fluorescent material containing nanoparticles that convert light into fluorescent radiation. The invisible light of a UV lamp ‘illuminates’ the window panes and generates fluorescent radiation in the coating. This radiation is channelled to the edges of the window, where it is detected by sensors. Similarly to a light barrier, if someone steps into the light of the lamp, less light reaches the coating and less fluorescent radiation is produced. If several sensors are installed on all four sides of the window frame, conclusions can be drawn from the data as to how fast and in what direction an object is moving, as well as its size.
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