BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PWB shipments in January fell 2.1% year-over-year, while orders increased 22.2% compared to the same period last year.

The North American book-to-bill held steady at 1.05, IPC reported.

Rigid PWB shipments were down 2%, while orders increased 19.8% year-year-over. The rigid book-to-bill remained at 1.06.

Flex circuit shipments for the month were down 4.1%. However, orders were up 59.3% compared to January 2009. The flex book-to-bill climbed above parity to 1.03.

A book-to-bill ratio of more than 1.0 suggests current demand is ahead of supply, a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

“The best news from our January PCB surveys is the huge growth in orders compared to January of last year,” said IPC. “Sales are still down slightly from last year, but are increasing steadily. The book-to-bill ratio for all PCBs has stayed above 1.0 for nine months now, indicating continued sales growth in 2010.”

In January, rigid PWBs represented an estimated 90% of the current industry in North America, says IPC.

The firm says 82% of total shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 82% of rigid and 72% of flex circuit shipments.