May IPC stats show shipments were flat for rigid PCBs

June 29, 2011
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in May 2011 increased 1.1% and orders booked decreased 12.6% from May 2010.

IPC has released the May findings from its monthlyNorth American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.

Rigid PCB shipments were flat at 0% growth and bookings decreased 13.4% in May 2011 from May 2010. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were up 4.1% and bookings declined 9.2%. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 0.3% and rigid bookings decreased 0.6%. The book-to-bill (B:B) ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in May 2011 reached 0.99.

Flexible circuit shipments in May 2011 were up 14.0% and bookings decreased 5.1% compared to May 2010. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments increased 14.2% and bookings were up 5.5%. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments decreased 6.9% and flex bookings jumped 22.0%. The North American flexible circuit B:B in May 2011 edged up to 0.97.

For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in May 2011 increased 1.1% and orders booked decreased 12.6% from May 2010. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 4.9% and bookings were down 8.0%. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for May 2011 decreased 0.4% and bookings increased 1.3%. The combined (rigid and flex) industry B:B in May 2011 climbed to 0.99.

“We are starting to see some improvement in the North American PCB book-to-bill ratio,” says IPC president and CEO Denny McGuirk. “Although it is still just under parity and we are seeing flat growth in rigid PCB sales, the flexible circuit side of the business is showing strong sales growth.”

To track regional production trends, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the United States or Canada). In May 2011, 80% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 79% of rigid PCB and 88 percent of flexible circuit shipments in May by IPC’s survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which change slightly in January, but are kept constant through the remainder of the year.

In May, the flexiblecircuit manufacturers in IPC’s survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 50% of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers’ businesses. This figure is also sensitive to changes in the survey sample, which may occur at the beginning of each calendar year.

SOURCE:IPC

-- Posted byVision Systems Design

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