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BANNOCKBURN, IL – January printed circuit board shipments from North American fabricators increased 4.3%, but orders fell 6.5% year-over-year.

The book-to-bill ratio posted a gain of one-tenth, to 0.97, says IPC. It was the fourth straight month the ratio was below 1.0, the leading indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

Rigid PWB shipments were up 3.7%, and orders dropped 7.7% compared to January 2010. The book-to-bill edged up to 0.97.

Flex shipments for the month were up 10.7%, while orders were up 5.3% year-over-year. The flex book-to-bill climbed above parity to 1.01.

IPC said the sales followed normal seasonal patterns, and that the figures are stable.

Rigid PWBs represent an estimated 89% of the current industry in North America, says the firm. Rigid circuit producers reported military sales accounted for 24% of their sales for January, and flex circuit producers reported 46% military sales.

In January, 81% of total shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 81% of rigid and 86% of flex shipments.

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SAN JOSE – North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers reported January orders of $1.54 billion, up 30.3% from last year, an industry trade group said.

While the numbers look good versus a year ago, the industry at that time was still coming out of a deep recession. The 90-day average bookings fell 2.9% from the revised December figures, said SEMI.

The book-to-bill ratio was 0.85, meaning that $85 worth of orders were received for every $100 worth of equipment shipped. It was the fourth straight month below 1.0, suggesting slower shipments ahead.

The 90-day average worldwide billings were $1.8 billion, up 2.5% from revised December levels and 88% from January 2010.

“Orders declined slightly although they remain well above January 2010 orders,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “Industry spending remains solid at the start of the year and we are encouraged by the strength in capital expenditure plans announced over the past month.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of US dollars.

ALAMEDA, CA – A new paper presents findings on three small-to-medium-sized electronics manufacturing services firms and common themes for success.

Through interviews with Digicom Electronics, Nistec Group, and PartnerTech over a 15-year span, the paper shows how management has survived economic fluctuations, parts shortages, demanding customers, and an ever-broadening scope of services, while competing with companies leveraging low-wage regions, huge buying power, and economies of scale.

Technology Forecasters’ “Contract Electronic Manufacturers with Staying Power” is available at http://www.techforecasters.com/whitepapers/wp_tfi_lasting_cms.pdf.