BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit board shipments in August decreased 4.4% year-over-year, as orders fell 8%, says IPC.

Year to date, PCB shipments were up 1.5% and orders were down 8.5%. Sequentially, shipments increased 13.7% and orders were up 14.3%.

The book-to-bill ratio in August remained above parity at 1.02. A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

Rigid circuit board shipments in August were down 4.2%, while orders dropped 6.5% year-over-year.

Year to date, rigid board shipments increased 1.5%, and orders declined 9.6%. Sequentially, shipments increased 13.7%, and orders were up 15.4%.  The book-to-bill ratio for rigid boards was at parity at 1.0.

Flex circuit board shipments for the month were down 6.5%, and orders declined 21.4% compared to August 2010.

Year to date, flex board shipments increased 1.9%, and orders were up 3.6%. Sequentially, shipments increased 14%, and orders were up 3.2%.

The book-to-bill ratio remained high at 1.14.

Rigid boards represent an estimated 89% of the current industry in North America. In August, 78% of total board shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 78% of rigid and 85% of flex board shipments in August.

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