Daily News Briefs

Agilent Technologies Inc. announced it has opened two new facilities in Penang, Malaysia, that will include a research and development center, design and metrology labs and manufacturing lines of Agilent's latest test and measurement instruments and semiconductor products. Nearly 40 percent of Agilent's total orders and revenue originate in the Asia Pacific market. . . . Intuitive Surgical Inc., a developer of surgical robotics and the maker of the da Vinci Surgical System, and Solectron Corp., a provider of electronics manufacturing and supply-chain management services, announced they have signed a manufacturing agreement. Solectron will provide new product introduction and printed circuit board assembly for the da Vinci Surgical System, a robotic surgery device, and Solectron will provide services for the device through its facility in Fremont, Calif.