BANNOCKBURN, IL — North American printed circuit board shipments in November rose 4% over last year on a 90-day moving average basis.

Sequentially, November shipments increased 0.4%, IPC said.

PCB bookings in November increased 15.8% year-over-year, while dropping 3.8% sequentially.

Year to date, shipments are 2.3% below the same period last year, and order growth is up 5.7%.

The book-to-bill ratio in November at 1.09, down 30 basis points from October and up 100 basis points from a year ago. The ratio is 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 1.0 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to 12 months.

“The North American PCB industry’s recovery continued in November and is becoming more robust, with positive year-on-year sales growth for the third consecutive month and strengthening growth rates,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The outlook is also positive, based on strong order growth in recent months, and on PCB book-to-bill ratios above parity (1.0) for 10 consecutive months. Although the book-to-bill ratio has been retreating from a 12-year high in August, due to growth in sales, it remains strong, indicating a likelihood of continued sales growth in the coming months,” she added.

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