IMS/PCB book-to-bill ratio up slightly for March 2003
MAY 14--IPC--Association Connecting Electronics Industries (Northbrook, IL; www.ipc.org) reports that the US IMS/PCB industry book-to-bill ratio for March 2003 was 1.04. Sales billed (shipments) in March 2003 decreased 29.2% from March 2002, and orders booked decreased 25.7% from March 2002. Compared to 2002, bookings of printed-circuit boards (PCBs) are down 19.8% year-to-date, while shipments of PCBs are down 24.6% year-to-date.
The IPC IMS/PCB shipment index in March 2003 increased 4.2% from 103.0 in February 2003, and the IPC IMS/PCB booking index in March 2003 increased 7.8% from 101.4 in February 2003.
The index shows how current PCB shipments and bookings relate to an index point. (In this case, 1992 was chosen as the index point because it was a stable growth year for U.S. PCB manufacturers.) A shipment index number of 117.0 indicates that shipments are 17% higher than average shipments for the same time period in 1992.
The indices are calculated by setting the base year (1992) equal to 100 and then multiplying the monthly growth rates of the actual shipments and bookings by the corresponding index number.
IPC is a trade association dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its more than 2300 member companies, which represent all facets of the electronic interconnection industry, including design, printed circuit board manufacturing and electronics assembly.