BANNOCKBURN, IL — Orders for printed circuit boards from North American fabricators rose 5% year-over-year in November.

Shipments for the month increased 11.8%, said IPC, the trade group that tracks the data.

Year to date, shipments were up 18.1% and bookings 23% through November. Sequentially, shipments fell 2.7% and bookings increased 1.7%. The book-to-bill ratio dipped to two basis points to 0.96, the lowest mark since March 2009. After 17 straight months over parity, it was the second straight month the ratio finished below the 1.0 threshold, generally considered the benchmark for future growth.

The book-to-bill ratio is calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in the survey sample.

IPC said 83% of PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Bare flex circuits accounted for about 47% of the shipment value; the rest came from assembled flex circuits.

Rigid PCB shipments were up 9.7% year-over-year and bookings increased 4.3% in November. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were up 18.6% and bookings were up 23.4%. Compared to the previous month, rigid shipments fell 3.5% and bookings increased 2.3%. The book-to-bill ratio fell two basis points to 0.96. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 89% of all PCB sales in North America.

Flexible circuit shipments were up 38.8% and bookings grew 14.2% compared to November 2009. Year to date, flex shipments are up 13.2% and bookings 19%. Sequentially, flex shipments rose 6.1% and bookings fell 5.5%. The book-to-bill ratio dropped eight basis points to 0.92.

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