BANNOCKBURN, IL – The 90-day moving average bookings at North American circuit board fabricators fell 12.6% year-over-year in May, IPC said today.

Shipments for the month rose 1.1%, and are now up 4.9% for the year. Year-to-date bookings are 8% lower than 2010. On a sequential basis, shipments fell 0.4% and bookings increased 1.3%.

The book-to-bill ratio climbed 30 basis points to 0.99, its highest level since September 2010. 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. A ratio of more than 1.0 is considered an indicator for future growth.

Rigid board shipments were flat and bookings fell 13.4% year-over-year. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were up 4.1% through May, while bookings were down 9.2%. Sequentially, rigid shipments increased 0.3% and bookings fell 0.6%. The book-to-bill ratio was up 30 basis points to 0.99. Rigid PCBs make up an estimated 89% of the current PCB industry in North America

Flexible circuit shipments rose 14% but bookings dropped 5.1% from last year. Year to date, flex circuit shipments were up 14.2% and bookings are 5.5% higher. Shipments fell 6.9% sequentially and bookings jumped 22%. The flex book-to-bill ratio rose 10 basis points to 0.97. Half the value of the flex shipments was from assembly and related services, IPC said.

Domestic production accounted for 79% of rigid PCB and 88% of flexible circuit shipments in May by IPC’s survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which change slightly in January, but are kept constant through the remainder of the year.

The US printed circuit board market produces an estimated $2.7 billion worth of boards a year, according to Dr. Hayao Nakahara of NT Information.

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