BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC — North American printed circuit board orders in September decreased 2% year-over-year, reducing year-to-date order growth to 5.2%. Orders were down 7.4% sequentially.

North American PCB shipments in September increased 3.3% year-over-year.

Year-to-date shipment growth reached positive territory at 0.3. Sequentially, PCB shipments were up 12.1%.

The book-to-bill ratio for the month fell back to 1.05. 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.

“The North American PCB industry continues to see modest but positive sales growth, the result of strong order growth in most months of 2015. Orders contracted in September, bringing the book-to-bill ratio down from a five-year high in August to a more moderate level,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The book-to-bill ratio remains positive for the 12th consecutive month, which is a strong indicator of positive sales growth in the fourth quarter of this year and into next year.”