-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueBox Build
One trend is to add box build and final assembly to your product offering. In this issue, we explore the opportunities and risks of adding system assembly to your service portfolio.
IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Pre-show
This month’s issue devotes its pages to a comprehensive preview of the IPC APEX EXPO 2024 event. Whether your role is technical or business, if you're new-to-the-industry or seasoned veteran, you'll find value throughout this program.
Boost Your Sales
Every part of your business can be evaluated as a process, including your sales funnel. Optimizing your selling process requires a coordinated effort between marketing and sales. In this issue, industry experts in marketing and sales offer their best advice on how to boost your sales efforts.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
IPC's Book-to-Bill Ratio Reaches Positive Heights in September '05
October 26, 2005 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
BANNOCKBURN, Ill. — IPC–Association Connecting Electronics Industries' North American rigid PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for September 2005 rose to 1.07, while the North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio continued high at 1.52. Also, the combined (rigid and flex) book-to-bill ratio in September continued its climb to 1.18. These ratios are based on monthly data collected from PCB producers that participate in IPC's monthly PCB Statistical Program.
In September, rigid PCB shipments are down 0.5% and bookings are up 20.2% from September 2004. Year-to-date, rigid PCB shipments are down 4.7% and bookings are down 1.2%. Rigid PCB shipments from the survey sample increased 11.1% and rigid bookings increased 14.9%, respectively, from August 2005.
Flexible circuit shipments are up 28.0% and bookings are up 81.4% in September 2005 from September 2004. So far this year, flexible circuits shipments are up 27.4% and bookings are up 28.7%. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments from the survey sample increased 4.3% and flex bookings increased 84.5%.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry sales billed (shipments) in September 2005 increased 5.3% and orders booked increased 36.7% from September 2004. Year-to-date, combined industry shipments are up 1.2% and bookings are up 5.9%. Combined industry shipments for September 2005 are up 9.4% and bookings are up 32.8% over August 2005's figures.
"PCB sales were up in September, following the typical seasonal pattern," says Denny McGuirk, IPC's president. "Compared to last year, rigid PCB sales are staying flat and flexible circuits are continuing their strong growth trend. September bookings numbers are way up in both segments of the industry, which is an encouraging sign for fourth-quarter business." In September 2005, 71% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production (U.S. and Canada) accounted for 84% of rigid PCB and 33% of flexible circuit shipments in September.
Flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC's survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 17% of their shipment value reported for the month in September 2005. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers' business.