BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PCB orders in August increased 2.4% year-over-year, but this growth was not enough to bring year-to-date orders back to positive territory, says IPC. Year-to-date orders as of August were down 0.7%. Sequentially, however, orders increased 37.1%.

North American PCB shipments in August were down 4.1% compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date, however, shipment growth remained positive at 4.2%. Sequentially, August shipments declined 3.1%.

In August, the book-to-bill ratio returned to positive territory and stands at 1.02. 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.

“A year-on-year decrease in August sales growth for the North American PCB industry, combined with a modest year-on-year increase in orders, contributed to a return to positive territory for the industry’s book-to-bill ratio,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Growth rates for different segments of the
industry continue to be mixed, with some extreme differences between rigid PCB and flexible circuit producers.”