BANNOCKBURN, IL—Executives at North American electronics manufacturing companies can expect, on average, a 2.9 percent pay increase this year, according to a new study from the IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries.

WASHINGTON—The Securities & Exchange Commission has issued its final rule pertaining to publicly-traded companies that make or use products that contain conflict minerals.

WEST CALDWELL, NJ—Japan UNIX has given Fancort Industries exclusive distribution rights to sell and service their robotic soldering systems throughout North America.

BEIJING—Foxconn is freezing hiring of assembly-line workers in China after a greater than normal number of employees returned to work following the Lunar New Year holiday.

AMBERG, Germany—Siemens’ electronics assembly plant here exemplifies the factory of the future: Smart machines collaborate with each other. Defects, downtime, waste and waiting are not issues. Plant managers and CIOs work together to create a seamless blend of data and production.

PICKERING, ON—Siemens Canada has opened a new, 19,000-square-foot assembly plant here to make oil-insulated instrument transformers.

CHENNAI, India—Nokia Corp. has filed a complaint with the Indian government after tax officials raided its assembly plant here.

SHAWNEE, KS—E.C. Manufacturing, a manufacturer of small, advanced electrical components, is building a new, $6 million assembly plant here. The facility is expected to create 252 new jobs over the next three years.

WESTBOROUGH, MA—Contract manufacturer Columbia Tech has opened a new assembly plant here.

Among the largest purchasers of Vicor Corp.’s power components and systems are electronic manufacturers for the U.S. military.