BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit board shipments increased 3.4% percent in December year-over-year, says IPC. Year-to-date shipments were down 0.8% compared the same month in 2013. Sequentially, PCB shipments were up 6.4%.

PCB orders were up 7.9% year-over-year. Year-to-date orders were up 0.6% compared to the prior December. Sequentially, orders grew 13.4%.

The North American PCB book-to-bill ratio strengthened to 1.07 in December. 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.

“PCB business in North America was virtually flat in 2014 compared to the previous year,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Sales ended the year less than one percentage point below 2013, while orders finished the year just 0.6 percent above 2013. Strong orders in the fourth quarter have kept the book-to-bill ratio solidly in positive territory, which bodes well for sales growth in 2015.”

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