BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC said today the April North American printed circuit board book-to-bill ratio reached 1.10, its highest level since July 2010.

A ratio of more than one suggests current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to six months.

North American PCB shipments were down 7% percent compared to the same month in 2012, but orders increased 7.2% year-over-year.

Year to date, PCB shipments were down 5.1%, while orders were down 2.3%. Sequentially, shipments decreased 9.9%, and orders declined 14.3%.

Orders have outpaced shipments for the past five months, says the firm.

“North American PCB sales in April continued to lag behind 2012 levels, although sales in the flexible circuit segment are strengthening,” said Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research. “Rigid PCB orders for the month exceeded last year’s orders and continued to push the book-to-bill ratio up to a strong 1.10. This is the fifth consecutive monthly increase in the ratio, which reinforces our hope that PCB sales will strengthen during the coming months.”

In April, 85% of total PCB shipments were domestically produced.

• Prev
• Next