North American book-to-bill ratio drops to 1.16

AUGUST 26--North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.15 billion in orders in July 2002 and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.16, according to the July 2002 Express Report published by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI; www.semi.org). The $1.15 billion in bookings is 2% below the revised June 2002 level of $1.17 billion yet 50% above the $769 million in orders posted in July 2001.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in July 2002 was $995 million. The billings figure is 7% above the revised June 2002 level of $927 million and 17% below the July 2001 billings level of $1.19 billion.

"The July bookings data likely reflect renewed questions about the robustness of the economic recovery and the prospects for the consumption of electronic goods," said Dan Tracy, director of industry research and statistics for SEMI. "The data are consistent with recent announcements of reduced capital spending plans by some global chipmakers and supports the consensus of industry analysts projecting market recovery in 2003."