According to IPC (Northbrook, IL), the North American Interconnect Manufacturing Services (IMS)/ Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Industry book-to-bill ratio for March rose to 1.12, up slightly from February.

The ratio is calculated by averaging the index numbers for orders booked over the past three months and dividing by the average index numbers for sales billed during the same period.  A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which indicates probable near-term growth.

Shipments in March 2004 increased 41.1% year-on year, while orders booked increased 47.2%. Compared to 2003, shipments of PCBs are up 32.6% year-to-date, with bookings up 42.8 %.

The shipment index was up 15.3% sequentially to 151.5. However, the booking index decreased 2% from 164.1 in February. A shipment index of 117.0, for example, indicates that shipments are 17% higher than average shipments for the same time period in 1992.

According to IPC, participating companies report that their shipments increased 32.9% year-on-year and that their orders booked increased 37.1%.

Year-to-date, current survey participants report shipments up 30.2% and bookings up 41.1% over the same period in 2003.

The monthly statistics are based on data provided by PCB manufacturers that participate in IPC's monthly program. These companies reportedly represent approximately 60% of the U.S. IMS industry. 

www.ipc.org

Copyright 2004, UP Media Group. All rights reserved.

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