OTHER ELECTRONICS
UPDATE
December 2006
McIlvaine Company
NANOTECHNOLOGY
What are the Nano-Technologies?
Generally "nano" is one thousandth of "micro". It means that one micro-meter is one thousand nano-meters and one micro-gram is one thousand grams. One micro- second is one thousand nano-seconds; however, "Nano-Technologies" in this industry are usually something smaller than one micro-meter. Measurements are based on metric units. One mil is a thousandth of inch and 25 micro-meters; one micro-inch could be 25 nano-meters. When we talk about nano-technologies, they are something less than 40 micro-inches.
Recently, Sangyo Times, a major industry media firm in Japan has published "Directory of Nano-Technologies". This book introduces us to the nano-technologies and products for 1000 companies as well as the key people in the industry.
Semiconductor device companies have been manufacturing a huge volume of traces smaller than 100 nano-meters on the silicon wafers. Several MEMS device companies are developing elements smaller than 1000 nano-meters for their special devices. Many university professors and institutional researchers are talking about the great opportunities for the nano-balls, nano-tubes, nano-particles. However, there is a big gap between the original ideas and practical applications.
More companies are announcing that they have been contributing to the nano-technologies and industries. For example, sputtering process and plating process have been considering thickness smaller than 100 nano-meters, but these are not new technologies. Many biochemical processes are producing materials smaller than one micron, but they do not categorize themselves as nano-technologies. By Dominique Numakura
Penn State Invests $190 Million in New Materials Nano-Bio Research Complex
In the single largest investment in the school’s 150-year history, Penn State University is in the midst of planning for a new state-of-the-art research building complex that will feature a multidisciplinary approach to nano and biomaterial sciences.
With a total investment of $190 million ($40 million from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania), Penn State will construct a new 350,000-square-foot Materials/Life Science research facility at its University Park campus. With laboratory space to accommodate more than 125 faculty and staff in cross-disciplinary research, the new building will facilitate collaborations with Penn State’s Hershey School of Medicine and long-time industrial research partners such as healthcare and materials giants Johnson & Johnson and Bayer Materials.
This major investment in nanoscale science and engineering falls under the leadership of Penn State’s Materials Research Institute (MRI), one of Penn State’s premier institutes designed to facilitate research across disciplines, and an international leader in materials research and engineering at the nano and microscale.
The materials and life sciences buildings will provide a locus for collaboration in the emerging field of bio-nanomaterials, the man-made materials and small machines, many of them based on biological processes, used for biosensing, diagnosis, and repair of the body.
Penn State is no newcomer to nanotechnology. The university’s Center for Nanoscale Science was established as an NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center to carry out interdisciplinary research and educational outreach in the areas of Molecular Nanofabrication, Biomolecular Motors, and Collective Phenomena in Restricted Geometries. Penn State’s Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization (CNEU), is a national model for hands-on nanotechnology education for both undergraduates and industry. And the Penn State NanoFacilities Network (part of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network) provides nanofabrication and characterization capabilities for students and faculty, research universities, and small and large businesses.
Behind the Numbers – Penn State’s MRI Nano Commitments
At present, Penn State’s MRI nano-focused investments will result in:
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS
Taiwan flexible-PCB Companies form Industry Cluster in Eastern China
A group of specialized Taiwan-based makers and two suppliers of flexible copper-clad-laminate (CCL) materials, including ThinFlex Corp. and Taiflex Scientific Co., Ltd., in eastern China (especially Kunshan and Suzhou, Jiangsu Province) have formed a well-structured flexible-printed circuit board (PCB) industry cluster.
Companies in the eastern-China PCB cluster deem that they would soon expand by leaps in the huge China market with cost and price advantages. Most of them pointed out that such production plants in China enable them to directly ship products to downstream customers, cutting costs for better profitability all round.
Flexible CCL is the fundamental material for the PCB industry.
A group of Taiwan flexible-PCB makers had in turn set up their production plants in Kunshan and Suzhou between 2001 and 2004. Most of the flexible-PCB makers procured such key material from mainly Japanese and American suppliers few years ago but have been sizing up new options as Taiwan-based material suppliers have been setting up shop in eastern China, making available a direct material source at lower prices.
Microcosm Technology Co., Ltd. was the first Taiwan-based flexible CCL supplier to set up a plant in Suzhou and currently runs two production lines.
In mid-2005, Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd. of Japan formed an alliance with ThinFlex Corp. of Taiwan, (the world`s fifth-largest flexible-PCB material manufacturer) and jointly set up a venture-the TopFlex Corp.-to develop and manufacture environmentally-friendly halogen-free cover-lays that feature a blend of the technical strengths of both companies in Kunshan. According ThinFlex, the Chinese venture has completed the plant construction and is scheduled to begin trial runs in late November. Once fully online, the Taiwan parent firm said, the Chinese subsidiary is expected to generate an annual revenue of US$100 million.
After setting up a warehouse in China, Taiflex is constructing its production plant in Kunshan. The company said that the new plant is being equipped and should begin volume production of mainly adhesive flexible CCLs in the second quarter of 2007. The monthly capacity at the new facility is about 400,000 square meters, Taiflex said, and the burgeoning China market is expected to create lucrative business opportunities.
In addition to the above-mentioned major suppliers, other smaller-scaled Taiwan-based flexible CCL material makers are also moving to eastern China. A group of PCB manufacturing and processing companies offering computer-numeric-control (CNC) hole-drilling, SMT assembly, and electro-plating services have also formed an integrated manufacturing cluster in the region.
OTHER ELECTRONICS
Taiwan Backlight Maker Forhouse to Increase Investment in Xiamen
The board of directors of Taiwan-based backlight unit (BLU) maker Forhouse recently approved a proposal to invest US$1.75 million more in its subsidiary Fortech Electronics (Xiamen). The investment will fund the company's BLU and other component manufacturing and sales in China, according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE).
Cisco Provides Update on Investment in India
Cisco has announced that it is on course with its Rs.5,007.20 ($1.1 billion) investment in India is expanding its commitment to its initiative in India. The company also expects to triple its workforce in India over the next three to five years.
Cisco has allocated Rs.227.60 crore ($50 million) for a new research and development campus in Bangalore which is expected to be completed by June 2007. These R&D activities continue to be complemented by work done by Indian strategic partner companies. The company continues to invest in growing its workforce and the training and development of its employees and has allocated more than Rs.3,414 crore ($750 million) towards R&D activities, training and development in India over the next three years. In addition, Cisco will continue to expand its relationships with its strategic partners in India.
Cisco Systems Capital has deployed nearly Rs.227.60 crore ($50 million) out of a Rs.682.80 crore ($150 million) fund to provide leasing and other financial solutions to Cisco customers and partners. Cisco Systems Capital recently earmarked another Rs.45.52 crore ($10 million) for near-term deployment. The company is committed to investing in innovation in India and has allocated Rs.455.20 crore ($100 million) towards venture capital investments in high-growth, early stage companies based in India. In the last year, Cisco invested Rs.22.76 crore ($5 million) in Indiagames and Bharti Telesoft and expects to invest another Rs.113.80 crore ($25 million) to Rs.136.56 crore ($30 million) over the next few months in companies involved in broadband content and digital media.
The company continues to expand its customer support operations in India and plans to invest Rs.455.20 crore ($100 million) in growing its technical services capabilities, spare parts depots and channel development. Cisco recently established a 24x7 premium spare depot in Chandigarh. Cisco has begun contributing products and services for rural connectivity and the development of a BSNL lab in Chennai and has allocated Rs.45.52 crore ($10 million) towards these efforts.
The company continues to expand the Cisco Networking Academy Program in India, which operates 153 networking academies across 23 States and Union Territories. Over the last year, Cisco has added 5,683 new students to the program.
Cisco has also announced plans to launch a manufacturing pilot facility in Chennai. The facility initially will manufacture certain products for the domestic Indian market. In line with the company's outsourced manufacturing model, Cisco has selected one of its global manufacturing partners, Foxconn, to work with the company on the facility.
Hon Hai Made Big Harvest China
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Taiwan's largest private-sector manufacturer, has made big returns on investment in mainland China by scoring NT$20.7 billion (US$634.97 million at US$1:NT$32.6) in earnings in the first three quarters of this year, the biggest earnings posted by domestic listing firms there.
Hon Hai recognized NT$21.1 billion (US$647.24 million) in earnings from investment in the mainland last year.
As Hon Hai is consistently investing in the mainland, it is expected the company will see 40% of earnings come from across the Taiwan Strait, making it the most profitable Taiwanese firm invested in the mainland.
Over the past several years, Hon Hai has launched some massive investment projects, each worth of over US$1 billion, in the mainland. For instance, earlier this year Hon Hai signed an investment contract with mainland authorities to erect a US$1 billion industrial park in Huaian of Anhui province.
The latest one went to Hebei province where Hon Hai will invest US$1.2 billion to develop a large-sized technology industrial park of 6,000 acres.
So far Hon Hai has established 12 production bases in the mainland, making it the largest Taiwanese firm invested across the Taiwan Strait.
Hon Hai scored NT$37.824 billion (US$1.16 billion) in after-tax earnings on sales of NT$589.76 billion (US$18.09 billion) in the first three quarters of this year, up 38.29% and 33.99%, respectively from the corresponding period of last year.
Hon Hai attributed the substantial growth in earnings to its achievements in boosting operating efficiency by way of vertical integration. In addition, it has also boost production efficiency in such major products lines as personal computers, consumer electronics, and electronic components
McIlvaine Company,
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