JULY 31--The book-to-bill ratio for the US printed wiring board (PWB) industry inched up to 0.74 for June, the IPC-Association of the Connection Electronics Industries reported today. That figure compared to a book-to-bill ratio of 0.66 for May, 0.63 in April, and 0.70 in March. Shipments for the month fell about 32% compared with the same period a year ago, while orders booked decreased about 39%.

Bookings for PWBs are down about 46% year-to-date compared to 2000, the IPC said, while shipments are about 14% lower so far this year.

The ratio is calculated by averaging the number of orders booked over the past three months and dividing by the average sales billed during the same period. The information is based on data provided by the 86 rigid and flexible PWB manufacturers participating in IPC's monthly statistical program.

Tue Jul 31 09:40:00 CDT 2001