BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American industry PCB shipments in July increased 6.9% year-over-year and orders fell 6.9%,
IPC said.
The combined July industry book-to-bill ratio was 0.94. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.
Through July, shipments were up 5.8% and bookings were up 3.6%. Sequentially, shipments were down 15% and bookings were down 17.6%.
July rigid PCB shipments were up 5.3% and bookings were down 8% year-over-year, according to the association. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were up 5.7% and bookings were up 4.4%. Sequentially, rigid PCB shipments decreased 15.9% and rigid bookings decreased 18.1%. The book-to-bill ratio for the rigid PCB industry remained at 0.94.
Flexible circuit shipments for the month were up 31.8% and bookings were up 9.9% compared to 2007. Year to date, flex shipments were up 7.7% and bookings were down 6.5%. Compared to June, flex shipments were down 1.5% and bookings declined 11.8%. The flex book-to-bill ratio for July was 1.01.
In July 2008, 86% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced, said IPC. Domestic production accounted for 86% of rigid PCB and 88% of flexible circuit shipments.