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North American PCB sales decline following negative order growth
North American PCB sales growth in July turned negative, following order growth into negative territory says the IPC. The book-to-bill ratio remained at parity (1.00).
Total North American PCB shipments in July 2019 were down 5.3% compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date sales growth as of July remained positive at 8.3%. Compared to the preceding month, July shipments decreased 23.1%.
PCB bookings in July decreased 4.3% year-over-year, bringing year-to-date order growth down to a positive 1.2%. Bookings in July were down 17.8% from the previous month.
“Year-on-year declines in orders in seven of the last 12 months are taking a toll on sales growth in the North American PCB industry,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Sales growth has slowed in recent months and dipped into negative territory in July. The slowdown is reflected in the book-to-bill ratio, which has hovered around 1.00 in the last five months. This indicates the probability of flattening sales growth in the second half of the year.”
