North American PCB orders strengthened in September

Total North American PCB shipments decreased 2.8 percent in September 2014 from September 2013, reducing year-to-date shipment growth to -1.2 percent. Compared to the previous month, PCB shipments were up 10.1 percent. PCB bookings increased by 10.6 percent compared to September 2013, improving the year-to-date order growth rate to -4.2 percent. Order growth jumped 17.0 percent in September compared to the previous month. The North American PCB book-to-bill ratio declined to 0.99 in September. “The North American PCB industry’s solid sales and order growth over the previous month reflects normal seasonal patterns,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Despite strong order growth in September, orders continued to lag shipments by a small margin, pushing the PCB book-to-bill ratio just below parity. The trend indicates a likelihood of flat sales growth through the remainder of 2014,” she added, “but a continuation of strong order growth in the last quarter could pull PCB shipments out of the current doldrums.”