SAN JOSE -- Global semiconductor sales fell almost 10% year-over-year in November to $20.8 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association said today.
For the month, rigid shipments dropped 5.8% and bookings fell 17.3%, while flex circuit shipments dropped 22.6% and bookings plunged 36.8%, IPC said.
Through November, rigid shipments are up 2.4%, and bookings are down 3.8%. Flex circuit shipments are up 5.8% and bookings are down 5.5% versus last year.
The monthly book-to-bill ratio slipped to 0.94. The ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period. A ratio of more than 1.0 is considered a sign of future expansion.
Rigid PWBs make up an estimated 90% of survey.About 14% of the value of the PWBs covered in the survey are imported by brokers, IPC said.
Overall, shipments are up 2.6% and bookings are down 3.9%.
IPC said in a statement it expects PWB revenues in 2008 will be flat with 2007.HONG KONG -- Wong Kong King (WKK) Technology has signed a license agreement to manufacture and sell Nihon Superior's patented lead-free alloy in China.
WKK said in a press release it will dedicate a factory in Dongguan, China, to manufacturing SN100C. The site is scheduled to be ready in April, with deliveries beginning in May.
The alloy comes in bar, paste, solid and cored wire, ribbon, preforms, spheres, and final finish forms, and has a full line of fluxes.