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September PCB Book-to-Bill Stays at 0.95
October 27, 2008 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
BANNOCKBURN, Ill. IPC Association Connecting Electronics Industries announced the September findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. "Orders and shipments in September showed the usual end-of-quarter increase," said IPC president Denny McGuirk, "but the growth rate appears to be slowing."
Rigid PCB shipments are down 3.8% and bookings are down 16.4% in September 2008 from September 2007. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments are up 4.2% and bookings are down 0.8%. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 4.5% and rigid bookings increased 11.0%. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 90% of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC's World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in September 2008 moved up slightly to 0.96.
Flexible circuit shipments in September 2008 are up 9.0% and bookings are up 25.2% compared to September 2007. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments are up 9.0% and bookings are down 5.3%. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments are down 4.7% and flex bookings increased 50.8%. In September, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC's survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for approximately 80% of their shipment value reported for the month. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in September 2008 improved to 0.94.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in September 2008 decreased 3.1% from September 2007 and orders booked decreased 14.2% from September 2007. Year to date, combined industry shipments are up 4.5% and bookings are down 1.1%. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for September 2008 are up 3.8% and bookings are up 13.3%. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in September 2008 remained at 0.95.
In September 2008, 86% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 85% of rigid PCB and 90% of flexible circuit shipments in September by IPC survey participants.
The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC's survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.
For more information, visit www.ipc.org.