BANNOCKBURN, IL – February North American printed circuit board orders grew 8.4% year-over-year, bringing year-to-date orders to 1.3% above the same period last year, and up 11.1% sequentially.

Total North American PCB shipments in February were down 2.8% compared to the same month last year. Year to date, shipments were down 3.4% year-over-year. Sequentially, shipments increased 3.4%.

The book-to-bill ratio grew to 1.04. 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.

"February’s rebound in PCB order growth was a welcome change in the North American market, which brought the PCB book-to-bill ratio back into positive territory," said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. "The recent sluggishness in PCB sales is a reflection of negative order growth in last quarter of 2016 and in January of this year. The current rebound in orders should help strengthen PCB sales in the next several months."