BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PCB shipments were down 1.2% compared to the same month last year, and were dropped 21.7% compared to December, according to findings from the IPC's North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 0.94.
PCB year-to-date bookings in January were down 11.4% compared to last year, and were down 13.4% compared to the same month in 2022.
“Improvements in the book-to-bill this month were driven in part by weak shipments. PCB order flow continues to deteriorate, though the three-month moving average did improve for the first time in four months,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist.
The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to twelve months. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the reverse.