American PCB order growth drives up book-to-bill ratio

Total North American PCB shipments increased 0.8 percent in October 2014 from October 2013, bringing year-to-date shipment growth to -1.0 percent. Compared to the previous month, PCB shipments were down 5.2 percent. PCB bookings increased by 28.8 percent compared to October 2013, improving the year-to-date order growth rate to -1.1 percent. Order growth jumped 15.5 percent in October compared to the previous month. The North American PCB book-to-bill ratio rebounded to 1.05 in October. “Unusually strong growth in North American PCB orders in October is good news for an industry that has experienced declining sales for more than three years,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The impact can be seen in the book-to-bill ratio, which made a strong comeback this month, indicating that sales may begin to rebound by the end of the year,” she added.