PCB bookings gain strength

Total North American PCB shipments were down 7.0 percent in April 2013 from April 2012, but bookings increased 7.2 percent year over year. Year to date, PCB industry shipments were down 5.1 percent and bookings were down 2.3 percent. Compared to the previous month, PCB shipments in April decreased 9.9 percent, and bookings declined 14.3 percent. Bookings have outpaced shipments for the past five months. “North American PCB sales in April continued to lag behind 2012 levels, although sales in the flexible circuit segment are strengthening,” said Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research. “Rigid PCB orders for the month exceeded last year’s orders and continued to push the book-to-bill ratio up to a strong 1.10. This is the fifth consecutive monthly increase in the ratio, which reinforces our hope that PCB sales will strengthen during the coming months.”