North American PCB sales and orders remain positive

but Book-to-Bill Ratio Falls Total North American PCB shipments in May 2019 were up 5.6 percent compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date sales growth as of May was 12.3 percent. Compared to the preceding month, May shipments increased 2.5 percent, writes IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries PCB bookings in May increased 5.6 percent year-over-year, bringing year-to-date order growth to 4.3 percent. Bookings in May were up 0.5 percent from the previous month. “Although sales and order growth continued in May for the North American PCB industry, slowing order growth rates pushed the book-to-bill ratio below parity,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research.” This was the first time since January 2017 that the industry registered a book-to-bill ratio below parity (1.00). “Recent ratios hovering around parity indicate continued but slower growth in the coming months.” she added.