BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit board orders in April increased 9.4% year-over-year, says IPC, bringing year-to-date order growth up to 4%. Orders were down 14% sequentially.

Total North American PCB shipments for the month were up 6.6% compared to April 2018. Year-to-date sales growth was 14%. Sequentially, shipments decreased 23.1%.

The book-to-bill ratio strengthened 20 basis points to 1.02. A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to 12 months.

“A return to solid year-over-year order growth for the North American PCB industry in April moved the book-to-bill ratio from parity to 1.02,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The ratio has been at or above parity for the last 28 months, which is an unusually long stretch for this leading indicator. Recent ratios indicate continued but slower growth in the coming months. April’s negative month-to-month growth rates are not a cause for concern, as they reflect normal seasonal patterns.”