BANNOCKBURN, IL – January North American printed circuit board orders declined 5.6% year-over-year and 7.6% sequentially, says IPC.
January shipments were down 4% compared to the same month last year and 15.6% sequentially.
The book-to-bill ratio strengthened slightly to 0.99. 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.
“January is typically a slow month for PCB sales and orders,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The North American PCB book-to-bill ratio remained below parity in January for the third straight month, but it climbed back up a notch to 0.99, which is an encouraging sign.”