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IPC Posts Book-to-Bill Ratio for November '05
January 4, 2006 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
BANNOCKBURN, Ill. — IPC–Association Connecting Electronics Industries' monthly PCB Statistical Program for November 2005 showed a rigid PCB industry book-to-bill ratio of 1.12 and a flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio of 1.16, both remaining strong. Combined, the book-to-bill ratio remained at 1.13.
Rigid PCB shipments were up 2.2% and bookings were up 20.8% in November 2005 from November 2004. So far this year, rigid PCB shipments are down 4.0% and bookings are up 3.0%. Rigid PCB shipments from the survey sample increased 9.3% from the previous month, and rigid bookings decreased 7.3%.
In November, flexible circuit shipments were up 34.5% and bookings were up 19.7% from the same period last year. Year-to-date, flexible circuits shipments were up 30.3% and bookings were up 17.3%. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments from the survey sample decreased 22.3% and flex bookings increased 167.4%.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry sales billed (shipments) in November increased 8.6% from November 2004, while orders booked increased 20.5%. So far, combined industry shipments were up 2.5% and bookings were up 6.5%. Combined industry shipments for November 2005 were down 0.7% over the previous month, and bookings were up 14.9%.
"Rigid PCB sales are still on track to end the year a little below last year, but strong bookings in the past few months are bringing the year-to-date figure very close to the segment's 2004 performance," says Denny McGuirk, IPC president. "Flexible circuit sales continued their double-digit growth in November and this segment looks set to end the year at about 30% ahead of 2004."
In November, 73% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced — accounting for 85% of rigid PCB and 35% of flexible circuit shipments. Flexible circuit manufacturers in the survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 35% of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers' business.