SAN JOSE – North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $569.7 million in orders in July, up 62% sequentially, SEMI said today.

The book-to-bill ratio rose to 1.06, surpassing the benchmark 1.0 point for the first time in 30 months.
 
The three-month average of worldwide orders was down about 36% year-over-year.
 
The three-month average of worldwide billings in July was $538 million, up more than 22% sequentially, and down about 50% compared to the same month last year.
 
"The increases in both bookings and billings reported by North American equipment manufacturers boosted the book-to-bill ratio above parity for the first time since January 2007,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “Even with that improvement, however, bookings remain significantly below year-ago figures.”