The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $25.22 billion for the month of October 2012, a 1.7 percent increase from the prior month when sales were $24.79 billion. Monthly sales topped $25 billion for the first time in 2012 and remained above the seasonal growth rate in October. Total year-to-date sales in 2012 were down 3.7 percent compared to the same time last year, but the deficit was smaller than it has been all year. Regionally, sales increased in the Americas by 8.1 percent, marking the region’s largest sequential monthly upsurge in the last decade. All monthly sales numbers represent a three-month moving average.

"The global semiconductor industry has demonstrated impressive resilience this year, despite operating in a challenging global macroeconomic environment," said Brian Toohey, President and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. "Sales for 2012 continue to lag behind 2011 totals, but the gap has closed in recent months thanks largely to growth in the Americas. Sales for October were significantly above seasonal trends, and we expect to carry this momentum into 2013 and 2014, with moderate growth projected for both years. SIA will continue to advocate on behalf of the industry for policies that promote growth and allow the industry to flourish."

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced that U.S. semiconductor industry jobs stretch across almost every region of the country and into the majority of states, according to an analysis of government data. California leads all states with 47,100 semiconductor jobs, followed by Texas (28,800), Oregon (23,400), Arizona (18,800), Massachusetts (10,100) and New York (7,600).

"The U.S. semiconductor industry has broadened its reach and now employs Americans in most states and regions of the country," said Brian Toohey, President and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. "From California and Texas to Florida, Massachusetts and New York, semiconductor workers across America are creating the breakthroughs that improve our lives, strengthen our country and build our future. With effective government policies that promote growth and innovation, the U.S. semiconductor industry will continue to boost America’s economic strength, national security and global competitiveness."

Rounding out the top 10 are Idaho (7,400), Florida (7,100), Vermont (5,100) and New Mexico (4,500). All employment figures reflect recently-released 2011 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

According to BLS, the U.S. semiconductor industry’s workforce grew by 3.7 percent over the previous year. In comparison, jobs throughout the broader U.S. economy increased by 1.2 percent over the same time period.

In November, SIA reported that total direct semiconductor employment in the U.S. is estimated at 244,800. This figure includes the semiconductor job total reported by BLS plus an estimate of jobs in the fabless semiconductor design sector, which BLS currently does not include in its semiconductor industry data. Additionally, as the backbone of modern technology, the semiconductor industry has a substantial positive effect on job creation in other sectors throughout the U.S. economy.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $720.4 million in orders worldwide in November 2012 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.79, according to the November Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.79 means that $79 worth of orders was received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in November 2012 was $720.4 million. The bookings figure is 3.0 percent lower than the revised October 2012 level of $742.8 million, and is 26.3 percent lower than the November 2011 order level of $977.2 million.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in November 2012 was $911.9 million. The billings figure is 7.5 percent lower than the revised October 2012 level of $985.5 million, and is 22.5 percent less than the November 2011 billings level of $1.18 billion.

"Economic headwinds, higher chip inventory levels, and soft PC demand are among the factors tempering chip makers’ investment in additional manufacturing capacity," said Denny McGuirk, President and CEO of SEMI. "Softening in the market for new semiconductor manufacturing equipment has persisted through the second half of 2012 and the November equipment billings are at a three-year low."

SEMI, the global industry association for companies that supply manufacturing technology and materials to the world’s chip makers, reported that worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings reached U.S.$9.06 billion in the third quarter of 2012. The billings figure is 12 percent lower than the second quarter of 2012 and 15 percent lower than the same quarter a year ago. The data is gathered jointly with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) from over 100 global equipment companies that provide data on a monthly basis.

Worldwide semiconductor equipment bookings were $6.71 billion in the third quarter of 2012. The figure is 12 percent lower than the same quarter a year ago and 31 percent lower than the bookings figure for the second quarter of 2012.

SEMI projects that worldwide sales of new semiconductor manufacturing equipment will reach $38.2 billion in 2012, according to the year-end SEMI Semiconductor Equipment Consensus Forecast, released at the annual SEMICON Japan exposition. Following a multi-year expansion period, semiconductor equipment sales are expected to moderate before posting low double-digit growth in 2014.

After a 151 percent market increase in 2010 and a 9.0 percent increase in 2011, the equipment market is expected to contract by 12.2 percent in 2012. Growth is expected in just two regions in 2012 — Taiwan (12.7 percent increase over 2011) and South Korea (10.7 percent increase). In 2012, Taiwan and South Korea each will reach equipment sales of $9.6 billion, with North American sales totaling $8.0 billion. Rest of World (ROW), Europe, and Japan are the most negatively impacted in 2012.

In 2013, China, Taiwan and Japan are expected to have slight to moderate positive growth. While the overall 2013 forecast indicates another 2.1 percent reduction in sales, 2014 sales are expected to rebound — increasing 12.5 percent with all regions increasing sales.

"Sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment in 2012 reflect significant investments over the prior two years, normal patterns of industry cyclicality and a slowdown in the broader economy," said Denny McGuirk, President and CEO of SEMI. "What’s more important is that technology investments at the advanced nodes and in leading-edge packaging remain important drivers, and when market confidence returns, we expect capacity investments to increase."

Wafer processing equipment, the largest product segment by dollar value, is expected to decrease 14.8 percent in 2012 to $29.3 billion, and remain at approximately that same level in 2013. The forecast predicts that the market for assembly and packaging equipment will decline by 5.1 percent to $3.2 billion in 2012. The market for semiconductor test equipment is forecasted to decline by 4.8 percent, reaching $3.6 billion this year. On the positive side, the "Other Front End" category (fab facilities, mask/reticle, and wafer manufacturing equipment) is expected in increase 6.3 percent in 2012.

Worldwide semiconductor revenue is projected to total $311 billion in 2013, a 4.5 percent increase from 2012 revenue, according to Gartner, Inc. Due to economic headwinds and an inventory correction, the fourth quarter projections have been revised down from the previous quarter's forecast of $330 billion.

Analysts have also reduced growth predictions for 2012 with semiconductor revenue expected to total $298 billion, down 3 percent from 2011. Gartner's third quarter forecast had put revenue at $309 billion for 2012, which would have meant an increase of 0.6 percent from 2011.

"The looming fiscal cliff, ongoing European debt crisis, slower emerging market growth and regional tensions have all played a part in reduced growth projections for semiconductor revenue in both 2012 and 2013," said Peter Middleton, principal analyst at Gartner. "Inventory levels were already high at the start of the second half of 2012, and as PC demand rolled off, supply simply overshot demand."

The semiconductor market was further depressed when DRAM prices failed to rebound in 2012. Gartner predicts that the DRAM market will not recover until the second half of 2013, when lower supply growth is expected to pull the market into a period of undersupply. This should prove a turning point for the semiconductor industry; memory is expected to lead the recovery with 15.3 percent growth and total semiconductor revenue is projected to reach $342 billion in 2014, an increase of 9.9 percent from 2013.

Despite weak financial results, leading Japanese consumer electronics original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. during the next two years are expected to increase their semiconductor spending as they invest in a wide range of innovative new products to revitalize their businesses.

Sony next year is expected to purchase $8.4 billion worth of semiconductors, up nearly 5 percent from $8.0 billion in 2012, according to an IHS Semiconductor Spend Analysis report from information and analytics provider IHS. Company spending will rise slightly again the following year by 0.1 percent.

Meanwhile, Toshiba’s spending will increase 2.0 percent to $6.1 billion in 2013, up from $6.0 billion in 2012. Toshiba’s spending will surge by another 6.3 percent in 2014, reaching $6.5 billion.

In contrast, spending at the other major Japanese consumer electronics OEMs, Panasonic and Sharp, will decline in 2013 and 2014—with Panasonic enjoying a minor rebound of 2.4 percent in 2014.

Worldwide wafer fab equipment (WFE) spending is forecast to total $27 billion in 2013, a 9.7 percent decline from 2012, according to Gartner, Inc. In 2012, WFE spending is on pace to reach $29.9 billion, a decrease of 17.4 percent from 2011 spending. The market is projected to return to growth in 2014.

Gartner said that the outlook for semiconductor equipment markets has softened due to macroeconomic weakness and that capital investment is expected to remain flat over the forecast period as memory and logic segments invest countercyclically to each other.

"In 2012, wafer fab equipment started off the year strong, as foundries and other logic manufacturers ramped up sub-30-nanometer production. The need for new equipment was stronger than originally anticipated, because strengthening demand for leading-edge devices required higher production volumes as yields had yet to reach mature levels," said Bob Johnson, research Vice President at Gartner. "However, demand for new equipment for logic production will soften as yields improve, leading to declining shipment volumes as the industry heads into 2013."

Gartner predicts that wafer fab manufacturing capacity utilization will decline below 80 percent by the end of 2012 before slowly increasing to about 85 percent by the end of 2013. Leading-edge utilization declined to the mid-80-percent range by the second half of 2012 and will move into the low-90-percent range by the end of 2013, providing for a somewhat positive capital investment environment. Memory will continue to be weak through 2013, with maintenance-level investments for DRAM and a slightly down NAND market until supply and demand are in balance. 2014 begins a WFE growth cycle that is expected to last through 2016.

"Although a period of inventory correction that led to lowered production levels in the first half of 2012 appears to be over, inventories remain at critical levels. High inventories, combined with overall market weakness, will continue to depress utilization rates into the first half of 2013," said Mr. Johnson.

Driven by continued demand for smartphones, tablet PCs, and other personal media devices, the total flash memory market (NAND and NOR) is forecast to grow 2 percent to $30.4 billion in 2012, surpassing the $28.0 billion DRAM market in sales for the first time.

With the exception of 2010, the DRAM and flash memory markets have been growing closer in size to each other for several years but demand for flash used in portable media devices, coupled with two years of weaker demand and price erosion for commodity DRAM used in personal computers will finally be enough to push total flash sales beyond those for DRAM this year.

Among portable media devices, smartphones shipments are projected to finish the year up 55 percent to 750 million units and shipments of tablet computers are forecast to rise 80 percent to 117 million units.

Through 2017, the flash memory market is expected to widen its lead over DRAM. In fact, IC Insights forecasts the NAND flash memory market alone will be larger than the DRAM market beginning in 2013. Among more than 30 product segments classified by WSTS, NAND flash is forecast to have the third-highest average annual growth rate through 2017, trailing only the market growth rates for tablet processors and cellphone application processors.

NAND flash sales are forecast to increase 14 percent annually from 2012-2017, growing to $53.2 billion at the end of the forecast period while the DRAM market is forecast to grow 9 percent annually over this same time.

TSMC announced its net sales for November 2012: On an unconsolidated basis, net sales were approximately NT$43.64 billion, a decrease of 11.4 percent over October 2012 and an increase of 23.9 percent over November 2011. Revenues for January through November 2012 totaled NT$463.31 billion, an increase of 19.5 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

On a consolidated basis, net sales for November 2012 were approximately NT$44.25 billion, a decrease of 11.4 percent over October 2012 and an increase of 23.4 percent over November 2011. Consolidated revenues for January through November 2012 totaled NT$469.13 billion, an increase of 18.5 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

Venture capital (VC) funding in the Life Sciences sector, which includes the Biotechnology and Medical Device industries, gained in third quarter in terms of dollars compared to the second quarter of 2012, but the sector still trended downward for the year, according to a new PwC US report, "Biotech bounce," that includes data from the PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP/National Venture Capital Association MoneyTree™ Report, based on data from Thomson Reuters.

Venture capitalists invested $1.7 billion in 181 life sciences deals during the third quarter of 2012. When compared with the same quarter of last year, that performance represented a drop of 12 percent in dollars and 8 percent in number of deals. Quarter-over-quarter life sciences funding fared better, gaining 16 percent in dollars but declining 2 percent in number of deals. A 64 percent leap in biotechnology funding drove the quarter-over-quarter increase.

"The 16 percent gain for the life sciences sector reversed a four-quarter decline," said Tracy T. Lefteroff, global managing partner of the venture capital practice at PwC US. "Yet the sector won’t outpace 2011 unless it gets a boost during the final quarter. Regulatory uncertainty, capital intensity, and investment time horizons remain challenging issues for would-be investors in the sector."

Burrill, CEO of Burrill & Company, a global life sciences financial services firm, says the pace of change is accelerating as personalized medicine and digital health technologies are altering the way doctors and patients treat, manage, and prevent disease. But global economic problems and the transition of healthcare around the world to value-based systems provide continuing challenges for life sciences companies.

"In 2012 life sciences companies enjoyed rising stock prices, successful financings, promising clinical results, and the approval of important new products," says Burrill. "Though 2013 may get off to a choppy start if Washington is unable to reach a resolution that avoids the fiscal cliff, we expect a year of strong performance for the sector."

GE Healthcare Life Sciences, a business unit of GE Healthcare GE announced the opening of its new £3 million cell science laboratories in Cardiff, Wales. The state-of-the-art investment at the company’s Maynard Centre creates a world-class facility for research and technology innovation in cell science, to help advance the rapidly emerging fields of cell therapy and cell bioprocessing, and to support the development of new, more effective and safer medicines. The new laboratories, which will employ 43 scientists and technical support staff, were officially opened today by the First Minister of Wales, the Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones, AM.

Dr Amr Abid, General Manager of Cell Technologies, GE Healthcare Life Sciences said, "Cellular research has an extraordinary potential to address some of the world’s biggest healthcare challenges. Our investment in these new laboratories is a great milestone and demonstrates our commitment to innovation and excellence in cellular science. Here in Cardiff we have established an outstanding team of scientists, many of whom are leaders in their field, and these new facilities will allow us to greatly expand our work."

The laboratories will focus on the development of novel technologies for the rapidly emerging field of cell therapy and on advancing new cellular based tools to help pharmaceutical companies develop better and safer medicines at lower cost. The new facility is equipped with the latest technologies for cell bioprocessing and cell imaging, as well as an industry-leading clean-room manufacturing facility. In addition, GE’s customers and scientific collaborators will benefit from an advanced technical training center.

Alfa Laval — a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling — has won an order from a major pharmaceutical company in India to supply a processing line for a new insulin plant in Malaysia. The order is worth approximately SEK 90 million and delivery is scheduled for 2014.

The order includes a variety of Alfa Laval equipment for fermentation, fluid handling and tank cleaning, forming a complete processing line for insulin production.

"The pharmaceutical industry requires hygienic and safe equipment that comply with the rigorous industry standards. This order is driven by the increased living standard and confirms our position as a reliable supplier to the industry", says Lars Renström, President and CEO of the Alfa Laval Group.

The UK government plans to add £600 million ($963.1 million) in additional funding over the next 3 years to the budget of the Research Councils UK (RCUK), the agency which funds the national science councils, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osbornes said recently.

RCUK said the funding will be used to support new research infrastructure and R&D aimed at strengthening the UK’s competitiveness in four key areas: synthetic biology, big data and energy efficient computing, energy storage, and advanced materials.

The new investments will provide an additional £10 million 2012-2013, £282 million in 2013-2014, and £308 million in 2014-2015.

The UK government has been on a synthetic biology spending spree of late, announcing in September that it will establish a center to serve as a hub for synthetic biology science, and recently it said that it would spend £20 million to fund several new research projects in this area.

The new efforts aimed at spurring and nurturing this technology area were in response to a recent report that urged the UK to take specific measures to make it a global leader in synthetic biology research and business, which the government sees as a significant growth field going forward.

VWR International, LLC, a leading global laboratory supply and distribution company, announced today that it has acquired Labonord SAS and Switch BVBA, expanding the company's cytology and histology portfolio in Europe.

Based in Lille, France, Labonord is an independent supplier of consumables and chemicals and also represents a number of leading suppliers of histology products in France. Belgium-based Switch, a manufacturer of cytology and histology reagents and dyes, produces products under the Q-Path brand which are distributed through Labonord and an independent distribution partner and sold to customers in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Pfizer Inc. announced that it has completed its acquisition of NextWave Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held, specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of products for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Consumer confidence in technology reached the highest level in the history of the CEA Index, according to the latest figures released by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. Consumer expectations about the overall economy increased slightly in November 2012.

The CEA Index of Consumer Technology Expectations (ICTE), which measures consumer expectations about technology spending, rose 9.3 points, reaching 97.3 in December. The ICTE reached the highest level since tracking began in January 2007, and is up 3.7 points from this time last year.

"Technology products are the most wanted gifts this holiday season, and we’ve seen a tremendous amount of activity, with several new product launches over the past few months," said Shawn DuBravac, CEA’s Chief Economist and Senior Director of research. "Consumers are increasingly dedicating a significant portion of their overall gift budgets to electronics, which has crowded out other categories for holiday gift spending."

Consumer confidence in the overall economy also increased in December. The CEA Index of Consumer Expectations (ICE), which measures consumer expectations about the broader economy, reached 171.1 in November, up 8.5 points from the previous month and up 0.4 points year-over-year.

"Overall economic sentiment increased slightly in December but remains subdued," said DuBravac. "Concerns remain over the immediacy of the fiscal cliff, and the impact it will have on U.S. households and the broader U.S. economy."

IC Insights , 2013 edition of IC Market Drivers - A Study of Emerging and Major End-Use Applications Fueling Demand for Integrated Circuits, examines and forecasts the growth of key electronic system applications and their impact on the IC market.

Throughout 2012, the expectations for global economic growth have consistently deteriorated. Global GDP growth is now expected to expand by an estimated 2.6 percent in 2012, very close to the global recession threshold of 2.5 percent and well below the long-term average growth rate of 3.5 percent. However, the forecast for worldwide GDP in 2013 is 3.2 percent growth. Though better than 2012, this would still be 0.3 points below the long-term average growth rate. With one month remaining in 2012, there are hints that the economies in China and the U.S. are improving, including stronger housing demand and hiring in the U.S., and accelerating factory output and retail sales in China.

Following "industry-average" electronic system sales growth of 6 percent in 2011, electronic system sales are expected to grow 3 percent in 2012 — half the long-term average, but the improving outlook for global GDP is forecast to help boost electronic systems growth 5 percent in 2013. The communications category is the only major electronic system segment expected to register better than 6 percent growth in 2012. Computer sales are estimated to grow only 1 percent in 2012, down from the 11 percent growth registered in 2010. In 2013, IC Insights forecasts the communications category will overtake computers as the largest end-use segment — the first time that has happened. Driving this growth are surging smartphone shipments. IC Insights estimates that smartphones will account for 49 percent of total cellphone unit marketshare in fourth quarter 2012, and total smartphone shipments are expected to rise 55 percent to 750 million units for all of 2012.

The prospect of stronger electronic systems growth in 2013 has raised the outlook for the IC market as well. IC Insights' updated forecast shows the IC market growing 6 percent in 2013 and improving to an average annual growth rate of 7.4 percent between 2011 and 2016, more than double the 3.3 percent average growth for the IC industry in the previous 5-year period (2006-2011).

Despite a 7 percent year to year dip in global TV shipments, retail sales in North America have been steady, if not exciting, and unit shipments were up almost 3 percent in third quarter 2012 after posting small declines in first half 2012. The trend in the U.S. market has been toward bigger and cheaper TVs, in the U.S. market lately, which is expected to be the focus during Black Friday 2012.

"Procurement typically peaks at the end of third quarter for the upcoming holiday shopping season in the U.S. Since many retailers are focusing on big opening sales during Black Friday and promotions during pre-Black Friday, inventory has been building overtime to a level that will satisfy the demand," observed Paul Gagnon, Director of Global TV Research for NPD DisplaySearch. "Based on the early promotional prices released ahead of Black Friday, retailers seem quite aggressive in starting the holiday season strong for TV sales."

Worldwide TV shipments fell on a year to year basis for the fourth straight quarter, as demand in Japan and Western Europe fell sharply. TV shipments in Japan were down over 70 percent year to year for the second quarter in a row, while Western Europe shipments fell more than 15 percent. Flat panel TV growth in emerging regions were lower than expected, especially in Asia Pacific, where the Indian TV market looks to decline in third quarter 2012, due to little retail set price erosion.

TV shipments in China grew over 13 percent year to year in third quarter 2012 as set makers anticipated demand for TVs during the Golden Week holidays in October. Growth was also helped by the new energy efficiency rebate program that started in June. Both factors led Chinese TV makers to increase production. As plasma TV shipments continue to decline, LCD remains the dominant flat panel TV technology, capturing a 16 percent quarter to quarter increase in unit shipments. However, overall LCD TV unit sales fell in third quarter 2012, down 1 percent year to year. This mark three straight quarters of annual year to year shipment declines. Even with a growing share, the overall level of demand worldwide continues to fall in 2012, impacting LCD shipments. LED LCD TV shipments continue to climb, exceeding 70 percent of units and 80 percent of revenues for total global TV shipments. North America had the lowest LED and 3D shipment penetration of any region worldwide since these consumers are most interested in screen size and price. Large screen sizes also continue to have strong growth, with the average shipped TV size increasing more than 6 percent to 35.8"— the highest growth yet.

Despite soft macroeconomic conditions, the market for mobile communications equipment will grow by a robust 13 percent this year, propelled by climbing shipments of mobile handsets and tablets, particularly devices supporting the 4G long term evolution (LTE) wireless standard.

Total factory revenue from original equipment manufacturers making mobile communications equipment is projected to reach $376 billion by year-end, up from $334 billion in 2011, according to an IHS iSuppli Wireless Systems Market Tracker report from information and analytics provider IHS. Next year, overall revenue for mobile communications equipment is forecast to rise to $444 million.

Driven by mobile broadband, the five-year compound annual growth rate until 2016 will amount to 11 percent.

IHS defines mobile communications equipment factory revenue as what manufacturers earn from the sale of devices into the channel — in this case, mobile communications equipment like smartphones and other handsets. The category also includes wireless infrastructure gear such as routers.

"The wireless equipment market is continuing to grow this year despite facing daunting economic headwinds, including the slowdown in China and the turmoil engulfing the euro zone," said Francis Sideco, senior principal analyst for wireless communications at IHS. "To be sure, growth this year will be lower than the much more sizable expansion of 29 percent in 2011. However, the market’s double-digit rise in 2012 is a testament to the ongoing appeal of cellphones and tablets to global consumers. The increasing deployment of LTE is also a considerable factor, which will continue to spur the market."

The third quarter was a blockbuster period for the mobile dynamic random access memory (DRAM) market as industry manufacturers rushed to produce memory chips for tablets and smartphones in time for the holidays, but not every supplier fared equally well, according to an IHS iSuppli DRAM Dynamics brief from information and analytics provider IHS.

Global shipments of mobile DRAM climbed an outsized 37 percent sequentially during the third quarter — the best performance for the space in two years. Growth during the eight prior quarters had ranged from a low of -3 percent to a high of 24 percent. But until now, no period had come close to equaling the 46 percent surge seen by the mobile DRAM market for shipments, which took place in the third quarter of 2010.

The magnitude of expansion during the third quarter this year was such that mobile DRAM has enlarged its share of the overall DRAM market, which also includes other DRAM sectors such as PC, server, consumer and graphics DRAM. Mobile DRAM grew to make up 24 percent of the entire DRAM space, up from 15 percent a year ago. And to reach the 24 percent level, mobile DRAM shipments had to rise a staggering 37 percent on the quarter.

That growth easily dwarfs DRAM industry prospects as a whole, which is expected to raise its shipments 28 percent for the entire year. As such, the much higher leap of mobile DRAM over the course of a shorter comparative period — quarterly vs. annual — makes its feat that much more impressive.

Mobile DRAM shipments are tightly coupled with the shipments of smartphones, and increasingly, of tablets — two favorites among the purchasing public that continue to outperform other electronic devices. In particular, the recent release of new smartphones and tablets has spurred heavy consumer interest, affecting the build ahead for mobile DRAM suppliers in the time leading up to the holiday sales season.

The middle of the year used to be the time when mobile DRAM shipments grew the most — likely in anticipation of the seasonal sales uptick that occurred in the second half of every year. However, peak growth in the mobile DRAM market has shifted in the last few years toward the end of each year, very likely due to increased dependence on the holiday sales season as well as to shorter supply chains, IHS iSuppli believes.

With the advent of new touch sensor structures driven by consumer demand for lighter and thinner devices, NPD DisplaySearch finds that in-cell touch technology and DITO (dual ITO) film are the wave of the future. NPD DisplaySearch reports that more than 7.5 percent of the mobile phone marketplace will be using in-cell touch in 2012, a number that is estimated to grow to 16.7 percent by 2018. In addition, tablet PCs, which primarily utilize projected capacitive touch technology, will see a 5 percent shipment share of DITO film structure technology in 2012.

Apple’s, newest iPad and iPhone models incorporate these new touch sensor structures. The iPhone 5 uses in-cell touch technology, which is a major change to the touch structure since the first iPhone model in 2007. Meanwhile, the iPad mini features a DITOfilm structure.

Apple sources the 4" 1136 × 640 (326 ppi) in-cell touch LCD from LG Display, Japan Display Inc., and Sharp under a license to use Apple’s in-cell touch patents. Under the terms of the agreement, these panel makers are not allowed to sell LCD panels of any size using Apple’s in-cell touch patents to other companies. Limited production along with the challenges in producing the new sensors with strict performance requirements have resulted in poor yield rates (70-80 percent or less) in the LCD panel manufacturing. These challenges have also led to a higher price for in-cell touch.

Increased tablet adoption, Apple’s strong dominance, and the emergence of new players like Google and Microsoft are changing the competitive landscape in the mobile PC market. As a result, players within the supply chain (display manufacturers, OEMs, and brands) have modified their business strategies and allocation plans to leverage their strengths and maintain market share.

"With the changes taking place in the mobile PC segment, existing supply chain relationships could be disrupted due to competitive conflicts," noted Jeff Lin, Value Chain Analyst at NPD DisplaySearch. "For example, Samsung Display plans to improve its mobile PC customer portfolio by reducing its share in Apple and increasing support to captive brands and other external customers, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble."

Lin added, "In addition, the shift to touch notebooks and ultra-slim devices will be key areas of focus for Apple’s mobile PC competitors in 2013. While capturing a larger portion of these market segments will be challenging, competitors will require solid commitments from their supply chain vendors (panel suppliers and OEMs) to ensure capacity and fool-proof, cost-down solutions. For example, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, and Acer have slashed prices on their ultra-slim notebooks in the hopes of combating the competition."

For most of the last two decades personal computers have accounted for a third or more of annual IC sales, but standard PCs are now on the brink of being replaced as the largest end-use product category for integrated circuits, according to IC Insights’ new 485-page 2013 edition of IC Market Drivers — A Study of Emerging and Major End-Use Applications Fueling Demand for Integrated Circuits. With cellphones and tablet computers racking up stronger growth rates, standard PCs are expected to use just one quarter of the ICs sold in 2012, and that share will fall to slightly less than 20 percent in 2016, based on the forecast in the new report.

Meanwhile, cellular phones are expected to account for 24 percent of the IC industry’s revenues in 2012, and that share is forecast to reach nearly 32 percent in 2016, according to the 2013 IC Market Drivers report. The new report predicts that cellphone IC sales will exceed standard PC IC dollar volumes for the first time in 2013 — $70.7 billion versus $65.1 billion for integrated circuits used in standard PCs.

The photovoltaic industry is in the midst of wrenching change — buffeted by government incentive cuts and nose-diving prices that has hurt solar suppliers worldwide, rocked by trade disputes among its major players, and hamstrung by a sputtering global economy," said Ash Sharma, Director, solar research at IHS. "However, there are some bright spots ahead: Solar installations are on the rise, technology is becoming more efficient, and a weak EU market roiled by financial turmoil will be offset by an ascendant China and the U.S."

Below are the top 10 predictions for 2013 from the IHS solar research team.

1. The global PV market will achieve double-digit installation growth in 2013, but market revenue will fall to $75 billion. Industry revenues — measured as system prices multiplied by total gigawatts installed — peaked at $94 billion in 2011, but fell sharply to $77 billion in 2012, as presented in the figure below. Revenue is projected to decline once again in 2013 to $75 billion, on the back of lower volume growth and continued system price declines, given that PV component prices continue to fall.
2. The solar module industry will consolidate further in 2013. As 2012 comes to a close, fewer than 150 companies will remain in the photovoltaic upstream value chain, down from more than 750 companies in 2010. Most of the consolidation will involve companies going out of business entirely. Many integrated players, particularly those based in China, will fold up shop in 2013. The large expense of building and then operating integrated facilities that are underutilized will be more than many can handle financially.
3. PV module prices will stabilize in 2H 2013 as oversupply eases. Despite a drastic decline in prices along the silicon supply chain since March 2011, solar prices will stabilize by mid-2013. Changes in market dynamics will help restore the global supply-demand balance.
4. Solar trade wars will rage on in 2013, yielding few winners. As of November 2012, there were six different solar trade cases proceeding involving China, Europe, the U.S. and India. This cycle of sanction and retaliation will not help solve the fundamental challenge of overcapacity plaguing the global PV industry.
5. South Africa and Romania will emerge as PV markets to watch in 2013. The two countries next year will expand from virtually no solar installations to capacity of several hundred megawatts. The PV uptake in both markets is driven by distinct factors. In South Africa, PV additions will mainly stem from the tenders awarded in 2012; in Romania, the growth driver will be a green certificate (GC) scheme that will stay in place until 2014.
6. Double-digit returns remain possible for European PV projects in 2013. With the subsidy schemes that are currently in place, all EU countries continue to offer attractive conditions for both private and institutional investors. Meanwhile, an evaluation of no-incentive scenarios shows that the most mature market segments are on the cusp of grid parity, allowing healthy returns on investment.
7. Solar will surpass wind in the U.S. The year 2013 marks an important milestone, representing the first time that new U.S. solar PV capacity additions will be greater than those made by wind. This is partly a result of the near-term uncertainty over the federal production tax credit for wind. However, it is also a reflection of solar PV’s increasing competitiveness as a form of renewable power generation in some key U.S. markets.
8. China will become the world’s largest PV market. Total PV installations in China next year are predicted to surpass 6 gigawatts, allowing the country to surpass Germany as the No. 1 solar market on the planet.
9. Energy storage will transform the solar industry. Batteries increasingly are being seen as an attractive way of retaining PV electricity, letting people use the power later in the day to avoid paying high prices for electricity from the grid. Next year IHS forecasts a big jump in the number of residential PV systems installed with batteries attached.
10. New technology will revive equipment vendors’ prospects. Improved technologies will help PV manufacturers cut costs, increase margins and ultimately distinguish themselves from the competition. Such a focus creates an opportunity for both manufacturers and equipment suppliers to obtain larger revenue streams.

Emerging markets are forecast to help bring stability to the ailing solar industry, with up to 12 gigawatts (GW) of new photovoltaic (PV) capacity added in 2017 up from just 1.6 GW in 2012, according to a new IHS solar report. The recently released study, which evaluated the potential for PV additions in 40 countries around the world, found that up to 30 GW of cumulative PV capacity will be added in emerging markets over the next four years, helping to stabilize the industry amidst a raft of incentive cuts in core European markets.

The IHS Solar Emerging Markets Study is the first report to provide an in-depth analysis into the growth potential of emerging markets in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle-East, Africa and ‘emerging Europe.’ The 200-page report found that although many of these emerging markets may present significant risks to companies seeking to enter them, many also offer excellent growth prospects. Given the great uncertainty in emerging solar markets, two forecast scenarios were presented in the study which predicted that 2.1 to 3.5 GW of new PV capacity will be added in 2013, growing to 2.9 to 12.2 GW in 2017.

Having assessed a number of criteria, including macroeconomic factors, potential market size, project profitability, near-term policy and project pipelines in each of the 40 countries, the study found that some of the most appealing markets will be South Africa, Thailand, Chile, Romania and Brazil. ‘Tier-2’ markets, which scored slightly lower, but still may offer opportunities to solar companies, but possibly not without risks, included Argentina, Ecuador, Turkey and Mexico.

Precision Fabrics Group Inc. (PFG) has added new fabrics to its Integrity® line of woven fabrics for cleanroom garments and other protective apparel.

Integrity 1900 — a 5-millimeter (mm) electrostatic discharge (ESD) grid construction — and Integrity 1950 — a 5-mm ESD stripe — offer improved breathability, heat transmission and moisture vapor transport for increased comfort while retaining the necessary air filtration properties, the company reports.

According to Steve Glosson, PFG's Integrity market manager, most fabrics traditionally used in cleanroom garments in the U.S. are constructed with a very tight weave to restrict pore size in the fabric, which makes the material an effective barrier but also restricts the garment's breathability. "Integrity 1900 and 1950 are woven with finer yarns than those used previously," Glosson said. "That enables us to weave these fabrics with more pores per square inch to improve breathability. And since the pore size is even smaller than that of conventional cleanroom fabrics, we don't give up any filtration efficiency."

The new Integrity fabrics are treated with MicrobeShield® antimicrobial finish, and an optional fluid-repellent finish is available. All of PFG's Integrity fabrics are certified to the Oeko-Tex® Standard 100.

Kaydon Custom Filtration, a global leader in bulk oil and fuel purification and Purafil, Inc., a global leader in gas phase and biological air filtration, have joined forces to form Kaydon Environmental Services Group. This consolidated group creates a unique, global environmental leadership focused on providing quality solutions for both air and liquid applications.

Kaydon Environmental Services Group will leverage over 100 years of combined knowledge to drive the future of filtration technologies and services within Kaydon Corporation. The combined market synergies, shared resources and expanded capabilities will support an aggressive growth plan to double business over the next five years.

Purafil President, James Mash will serve as President of Environmental Services Group, reporting to Gary Brewer, Kaydon Group Operations President. James O’Leary, Kaydon Corporation Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, commented, "Under the leadership of James Mash and Gary Brewer, we will create a synergistic global business in an environmental services marketplace that fosters growth by adding new technologies, markets and products worldwide."

Kaydon Custom Filtration is located in LaGrange, Georgia where they design, engineer and manufacture turbine oil conditioners, as well as filtration, separation, coalescing and vacuum dehydration systems. These products extend the service life of lubricants, protect capital investments and reduce premature equipment failure.

Purafil, Inc. is located in Doraville, GA where they designs, engineer and manufacture gas phase and biological air filtration systems, atmospheric and reactivity corrosion monitors, and UL classified granular media. These products improve indoor air quality, remove odors, control corrosion and scrub toxic gases.