BANNOCKBURN, IL — North American printed circuit board fabricators reported the 90-day moving average sales rose 10.7% year-over year in February.

Shipments were up 13.9%, according to IPC, the trade group that compiles the data.

February shipments fell 5.2% sequentially. Year-to-date through February, sales are up 14.7%.

PCB bookings in February were up 8.8% from the previous month, and are up 4.4% for the year.

The book-to-bill ratio, a measure of orders versus shipments over the period, rose four basis points to 1.06. The ratio indicates that for every $100 worth of boards shipped, $106 worth were ordered, a sign of future growth. It was the highest mark since May 2018.

"Based on revised data from the industry, January business results made a much stronger showing than originally reported," IPC said in a press release.

“Revised January data from the North American PCB industry brought welcome changes to the 2019 business results to date,” said Sharon Starr, director of market research, IPC. “After slowing growth in the latter part of 2018, strong growth has returned in 2019. The book-to-bill ratio rebounded from a corrected level of 1.02 in January to 1.06 in February, indicating the likelihood of continued sales growth in the coming months.”

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