IPC releases IMS/PCB book-to-bill ratio for January 2003

MARCH 4--IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries (Northbrook, IL; www.ipc.org) has announced the findings from its monthly Interconnect Manufacturing Services (IMS)/Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The IPC PCB Presidents Council recently selected IMS as a better designation for the PCB industry to reflect the services provided to customers.

The US IMS/PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for January 2003 was 1.02. Sales billed (shipments) in January 2003 decreased 19.8% from January 2002 and orders booked decreased 16.4% from January 2002. Compared to 2002, bookings of PCBs are up 3.9% year-to-date, while shipments of PCBs are down 1.3% year-to-date.

The IMS/PCB Business Report, an IPC statistical report that tracks the dynamics of the US IMS industry, reported the IMS/PCB shipment index was 91.9 and the IMS/PCB booking index was 104.5 for January 2003. The IPC IMS/PCB shipment index in January 2003 decreased 25.2% from 122.8 in December 2002, and the IPC IMS/PCB booking index in January 2003 decreased 14.5% from 122.2 in December 2002.