Semiconductors News

Maritime structural health monitoring specialist Light Structures is a member of two winning consortia in the first call of the European Defense Fund (EDF). Both consortia consist of the leading naval yards in Europe, organized through The Shipyards’ & Maritime Equipment Association of Europe (Sea Europe), national delegates, and the Norwegian partners SINTEF, Kongsberg, Jotne and Light Structures.The EDF was established to support high-end defense capability projects such as the next generation of aircraft fighters…

ABB expects supply chain bottlenecks to ease during 2022, the Swiss engineering group said on Thursday, after shortages of semiconductors hurt its ability to deliver increasing orders during the fourth quarter.The maker of fast chargers for electric vehicles and industrial drives for factories reported a 21% jump in orders as demand surged from machine builders, food manufacturers and general industry.But revenues grew by only 8% as ABB battled shortages of key components such as semiconductor chips that have hit the rest of industry.

Global goods trade is slowing after a sharp rebound following the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic as production and supply disruptions and cooling demand for imports dampen growth, the World Trade Organization said on Monday.The WTO said its goods trade barometer dropped to 99.5 points, close to the baseline of 100, in November following a record reading of 110.4 in August.The Geneva-based trade body said supply shocks, including port gridlock arising from surging import demand in the first half of the year and disrupted production of goods such as automobiles and semiconductors, had co

President Joe Biden will host a meeting on Wednesday to hail progress in addressing supply chain problems weighing on the economy and threatening the holiday season, while he asks business and union leaders to do more to ease shipping backlogs.The Port of Los Angeles is going to 24/7 operations to ease the shipping snarl there and at the Port of Long Beach, a senior administration official told reporters ahead of the meeting.In addition, three large carriers of goods - Walmart…

The White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Friday that John D. Porcari will be the Port Envoy to the Biden-Harris Administration Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force.Porcari will work closely with Secretary Buttigieg and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) as well as the National Economic Council to address congestion at U.S. ports. Disruptions in global shipping and rapid shifts in demand have led the cost of shipping containers between China and the West Coast to grow more than 90% compared to 2019. Containerized cargo volumes rose 40% in the first half of this year compared to the same time last year at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together handle the largest share of containerized cargo moving through U.S. ports.

China's imports grew at their fastest pace in 10 years in May, fueled by surging demand for raw materials, although export growth slowed more than expected amid disruptions caused by COVID-19 cases at the country's major southern ports.While a brisk recovery in developed markets has bolstered demand for Chinese products, a global semiconductor shortage, higher raw material and freight costs, logistics bottlenecks and a strengthening yuan have dimmed the outlook for the world's largest exporting nation.China's exports in dollar terms in May grew 27.9% from a year earlier…

China extended its impressive trade performance in April, with exports unexpectedly accelerating and import growth hitting a decade high, in a boost to the world’s second-largest economy.A brisk U.S. economic recovery and stalled factory production in other countries hit by coronavirus have propped up demand for goods made in China, analysts say.Exports in dollar terms surged 32.3% from a year earlier to $263.92 billion, China’s General Administration of Customs said on Friday…

The U.S. trade deficit jumped to a record high in March amid roaring domestic demand, which is drawing in imports, and the gap could widen further as the nation's economic activity rebounds faster than its global rivals.Manufacturers lack the capacity to satisfy the surge in demand because of resource constraints and bottlenecks in the supply chain. Inventories are very lean. Demand is being driven by a rapidly improving public health situation and massive government aid to households…

South Korean exports fell the slowest in four months and beat market expectations, data showed on Saturday, a further sign a recovery in Asia’s fourth-largest economy is gaining traction, although threats loom from global flare-ups in the COVID-19 pandemic.Overseas sales fell 7.0% in July from a year earlier, the trade ministry said, the fifth month of decline but much less than June’s 10.9% fall and the 9.7% drop tipped in a Reuters survey.South Korea is the first major exporting economy to release monthly trade data…

The United States on Monday posted rule changes that impose new restrictions on exports to China, including aircraft components and many items related to semiconductors.The new rules will require licenses for U.S. companies to sell certain items to military entities, even if they are for civilian use, and do away with a civilian exception that allows certain U.S.

Japan launched a second complaint at the World Trade Organization on Monday over support South Korea gives its shipbuilding industry, intensifying a wider dispute between the two Asian countries.Japan said in its filing that it had complained to South Korea on Jan. 31 over measures related to the development, production, marketing and sales of commercial vessels. Japan circulated it to other WTO members on Monday.Washington's two biggest Asian allies are embroiled in a widening…

Semtech, Wilhelmsen and The Things Industries (TTI) have formed a partnership to use Semtech’s LoRa devices to help deliver what they describe as cost-effective, robust and proven IoT solutions to the maritime shipping industry.Wilhelmsen is a global maritime industry group founded in 1861. Semtech Corporation is a  supplier of high performance analog and mixed-signal semiconductors and advanced algorithms.Wilhelmsen has selected Semtech’s LoRa devices as the foundation for its new global 2.4GHz maritime IoT network to deliver an ecosystem of cost-effective, robust and proven IoT solutions for its diverse global customer base at “land and sea.”The global maritime shipping industry is expected to register a CAGR of 16.82% during the forecast period 2019-2024.

China's exports surged more than expected in July despite U.S. duties and its closely watched surplus with the United States remained near record highs, as the world's two major economic powers ramp up a bitter dispute that some fear could derail global growth.In the latest move by President Donald Trump to put pressure on Beijing to negotiate trade concessions, Washington is set to begin collecting 25 percent tariffs on another $16 billion in Chinese goods on Aug. 23.In a statement on its official website late on Wednesday, China's commerce ministry criticised the U.S.

Harvey Gulf International Marine’s parent, HGIM Corp., has announced the appointment of a new Board of Directors to serve following the company’s emergence from Chapter 11 proceedings.The seven member Board includes two current members remaining on the Board and five new members, each with expertise in individual areas particularly suited to support the company’s operation and development and collectively, creating a leadership platform that will enable Harvey Gulf to adjust and thrive in an ever-changing market. Shane Guidry. Mr. Guidry remains the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer for HGIM Corp. Mr. Guidry is the third generation in his family to lead Harvey Gulf. Mr.

China and the United States sank into a deepening trade conflict that roiled financial markets Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on an additional $200 billion of Chinese products, prompting Beijing to accuse Washington of starting a trade war.Trump said Monday his threat was retaliation for China's decision to raise tariffs on $50 billion of U.S. goods over the weekend, a move that itself was in response to additional U.S. tariffs on Chinese…

About 10 Hanjin vessels effectively seized at China ports; Court says plans to start rehabilitations proceedings soon. Hanjin Shipping Co Ltd vessels have been seized at Chinese ports in the wake of the South Korean firm's collapse, further roiling the industry as freight rates jump and manufacturers scramble for alternatives. Seeking to contain the fallout, a South Korean court said it would soon begin proceedings to rehabilitate the carrier - which would allow Hanjin to take legal action in other countries to keep its ships and other assets from being seized. Rival Hyundai Merchant Marine will also deploy at least 13 of its ships to two routes exclusively serviced by Hanjin, while the South Korean government also plans to reach out to overseas carriers for help.

Global AC drives manufacturer, Vacon, has been named one of 18 industry-leading companies to participate in the Next Generation Power Electronics Institute at North Carolina State University. The Institute will bring research and commercial product development resources together in a centralized location to improve and make cost-competitive wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor-based power electronics. Over the next five years the institute will be financed with $70M in Department of Energy (DoE) support plus a collective $70M contribution from participating companies and other partners. “Vacon is honored and excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best minds from industry leading companies…

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth about $35 million from Hydro-Québec to upgrade the 350 megawatt (MW) Madawaska high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link, that connects the grids of New Brunswick and Hydro Québec in southeast Canada. The order was booked in the second quarter of 2014. The project scope includes installation of ABB’s MACH control and protection system and the upgrade of the valves and valve cooling system. The back-to-back converter station has been in operation for more than 25 years and the modernization is expected to significantly improve grid reliability and help reduce maintenance needs. The new station is scheduled to go into full operation in 2016.

ABB has installed the world’s highest-voltage offshore converter station in the North Sea. Alternating current electricity generated in three wind farms off the coast of Germany will be converted on the platform into high-voltage direct current (HVDC) for transmission to the mainland. The 320 kilovolts converter station has an 800 megawatt power transmission capacity making it the world's most powerful installation of its kind. In a three-day operation, the 9,300 metric tonne platform (topside) including the converter station was transported offshore by barge around 75 km off the German coast.

World’s most powerful HVDC Light® sets new record voltage level of ±320 kV- more than 50 per cent higher than existing record. The HVDC Light converter station was energized at the Dörpen West substation in northern Germany, for the Dutch-German transmission system operator, TenneT. This station is the receiving end of the DolWin1 transmission link, which will integrate 800 MW of offshore wind power generated in the North Sea into the European transmission system and will operate at the new record voltage level of +/-320 kilovolts (kV). HVDC Light is a manifestation of HVDC that helps to address the needs of underground and subsea transmission and ABB leads the way in this technology, having delivered more than 20 such converter stations.

ABB wins USD$130-million HVDC order for subsea power transmission link from Kraftnät Åland AB. The contract requires the supply of a new power transmission link between the Finnish mainland and Åland, an autonomous Finnish province at the entrance to the Gulf of Bothnia in the Baltic Sea, which presently receives its power through an AC (alternating current) cable from Sweden and local renewable sources. The existing fossil fueled power generation backup facility will be closed down once the new link is in operation. Apart from resolving the supply issue and reducing dependence on fossil fuels, the HVDC Light® link will enhance the contribution of renewables to the grid and help Finland reach its emission reduction targets.

According to a Nov. 17 report from The Hankyoreh, in the face of the global financial crisis and the downdraft on China’s economy following the Beijing Olympics, South Korea’s top three companies in the fields of semiconductors, liquid crystal display, automobiles, shipbuilding and chemicals are predicting falling or flagging sales for the coming year. Already in October, sales at some of the companies had declined and sales growth was expected to slow significantly in the fourth-quarter of the year. (Source: The Hankyoreh)

The Korea’s shipping industry, the world largest, is preparing itself for the future. The domestic shipping industry has been sweeping the first seven places across the world in terms of the amount of orders received and the rest amount of them. However, China is also formidable as it is running right after Japan, which is tailing Korea. Korean shipping companies are accelerating their efforts to heighten added value by developing Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) ships and building high value-added cruise ships. The shipping industry is one of the leading export industries in Korea. Last year, it ranked fifth following semiconductors, vehicles and wireless telecommunication equipment in order in terms of export amounts by industry.