BANNOCKBURN, IL – April PWB shipments rose 12.9% year-over-year, and bookings 4.8% over last year, IPC reported today.

Year to date, shipments were up 6.5% and bookings 10.6%. Shipments were down 14.6% and bookings were off 19.1% versus March.

The book-to-bill edged up above parity, to 1.01. A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests demand is ahead of supply and is considered a sign of a rising market.

About 13% of the data are imported boards resold by North American fabricators.

Rigid PCB shipments, which make up 88% of sales, were up 12.2% and bookings were up 5.6% over last year.

Year to date, rigid shipments were up 6.6% and bookings were up 12.9%. Rigid shipments decreased 14.7% and bookings decreased 19.3% versus March.

Flexible circuit shipments in April were up 22.8%, while bookings were down 4.8% year-over-year.

Year to date, flex shipments were up 5% and bookings were down 14.3%. Compared to the March, flex shipments were down 12.5% and bookings fell 16.8%. The flex book-to-bill ratio was flat at 0.99.