BANNOCKBURN, IL – Total North American printed circuit board shipments in October were up 5.3% year-over-year and down 11.9% sequentially, says IPC. Year to date, shipments were up 9.7% compared to the same month in 2017.

October PCB orders were up 2.2% year-over-year and 0.4% sequentially. Year to date, orders were up 8.5% year-over-year.

The book-to-bill ratio held steady at 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 twelve months.

“The North American PCB industry sales growth trend continued for the 14th consecutive month, and order growth rebounded, but the downward trend in order growth rates seen in recent months is now reflected in slower sales growth,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “We have seen a long period of growth. Book-to-bill ratios have been above parity for 21 straight months, which indicates the likelihood of continued sales growth at least for the rest of this year.”