North American PCB market shows strong MIL/AERO sales growth

Despite cutbacks in the U.S. military budget, cumulative rigid PCB sales to the military market from January through May this year were up 3.4 percent compared to the same period in 2012, while rigid PCB sales to other markets were down 9.1 percent year-to-date. In the flexible circuit segment, year-to-date growth rates of sales to the military and other markets were both positive, but military sales growth was higher. “We estimate that the military/aerospace market accounts for about 27 percent of the total PCB market in North America,” said Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research. “Based on new data, IPC is updating its market size estimates for rigid PCBs, flexible circuits, the mil/aero and medical vertical markets, and the prototype market. These will be reported in next month’s North American PCB Market Report.”