JANUARY 27--The North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $839 million in orders in December 2002 and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.98, according to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI; www.semi.org). A book-to-bill of 0.98 means that $98 worth of new orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.
The three-month average of worldwide bookings in December was $839 million. The bookings figure is 8% above the revised November 2002 level of $777 million and 37% above the $614 million in orders posted in December 2001. The three-month average of worldwide billings in December 2002 was $853 million. The billings figure is 13% below the revised November 2002 level of $976 million but 5% above the December 2001 billings level of $810 million.
"The increased bookings level suggests further capital equipment market stabilization. While the bookings figure is well below the peak levels in 2002, the bookings and billings figures are nearing parity, which is seen as a positive trend," said Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "Growth in the semiconductor capital equipment business is anticipated to be on the order of 10% to 20% in 2003 on a worldwide basis."
