PCB shipments down 10.2 percent in February 2013

Year to date, PCB industry shipments were down 5.7 percent and bookings were down 6.7 percent. Compared to the previous month, PCB shipments in February decreased 6.5 percent, but bookings increased 1.1 percent. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American PCB industry continued to strengthen in February, reaching 1.06. “Sales are still sluggish in the North American PCB industry, but the book-to-bill ratio strengthened in February for the third straight month,” said Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research. “When orders exceed sales over several months, this is an encouraging sign for future sales growth.” The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to six months.