North American PCB business growth slowed in May

Total North American PCB shipments in May 2016 were 4.4 percent above the same month last year. Year-to-date growth is up 5.3 percent for the first five months of the year. Compared to the preceding month, May shipments were down 3.1 percent. PCB bookings in May increased a mere 0.1 percent year-on-year, bringing year-to-date bookings growth down to a positive 4.0 percent. Orders in May 2016 were down 5.6 percent from the previous month. “Business growth in the North American PCB industry remained positive, but growth rates have slowed,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Shipments exceeded bookings in May for the first time in six months, which pushed the book-to-bill ratio down another notch, nearly to parity” she added. [c] [/c] ----- Images: © IPC