BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PCB shipments in March were up 19.1% year-over-year and 32.9% sequentially.

March PCB orders decreased 0.9% year-over-year, bringing year-to-date order growth down to a positive 2.4%. Orders were up 10.1% sequentially.

Year-to-date sales growth was 16.4%, says IPC.

The book-to-bill ratio retreated to parity at 1.00. 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.

“Strong sales for the North American PCB industry in March, combined with lackluster order growth, brought the book-to-bill ratio down to 1.00, its lowest level in more than two years,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Year-over-year sales growth has outpaced order growth for the past 10 months, indicating the likelihood of slowing sales growth in the coming months.”