BANNOCKBURN, IL – April shipments at North American circuit board fabricators increased 30.7% year-over-year, as orders increased 37.6%.

Through April, PWB shipments for the year were up 13.2%, and orders were up 31.8%. Sequentially, shipments for April decreased 13.4%, while orders fell 16.1%.

The book-to-bill ratio increased slightly to 1.1. A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

The book-to-bill has been above parity for 12 straight months.

Rigid PWB shipments were up 35.7% for the month, while orders increased 40.6% compared to April 2009. The rigid book-to-bill ratio in April climbed to 1.11.

Year to date, rigid shipments were up 14.9%, and orders grew 34%. Sequentially, rigid shipments dropped 12.3%, and orders decreased 15.7 %.

For the month, flex circuit shipments were down 14.9%, but orders were up 6.6% year-over-year. The flex book-to-bill ratio remained at 0.98.

Year to date, flex shipments were down 5.5%, and orders were up 7%. Sequentially, flex shipments dropped 26.4%, and orders declined 21.5%.

Rigid PWBs represent an estimated 90% of the current industry in North America. In April, 84% of total shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 84% of rigid and 83% of flex shipments, according to IPC.

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