IPC has announced the June conclusions from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.
Rigid PCB shipments were up 5.4% and bookings down 7.3% in June 2011 from June 2010. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments increased 4.4% and bookings declined 8.9%. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 15.3% and rigid bookings increased 10.4%. The book-to-bill ratio (B:B) for the North American rigid PCB industry in June 2011 was slightly below parity at 0.98.
Flexible circuit shipments in June 2011 were down 5.9% and bookings grew 30.8% compared to June 2010. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments increased 10.1% and bookings also increased 10.1%. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments increased 4.7% and flex bookings climbed by 21.9%. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in June 2011 jumped to 1.13.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in June 2011 increased 4.4% from June 2010, as orders booked decreased 4.2% from June 2010. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 4.8% and bookings were down 7.3%. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for June 2011 increased 14.4% and bookings increased 11.5%. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in June 2011 reached parity at 1.00.
“The industry’s book-to-bill ratio has returned to parity due to unusually high growth in flexible circuit orders in June,” said IPC President & CEO Denny McGuirk. “This indicates strong sales in the flex segment over the next several months. Rigid PCB sales growth is still positive but trending downward due to weaker orders.”
Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 89% of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC’s World PCB Production Report.
In June 2011, 78% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced (in the United States or Canada). Domestic production accounted for 78% of rigid PCB and 79% of flexible circuit shipments in June by IPC’s survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which change slightly in January, but are kept constant through the remainder of the year.
In June, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC’s survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 48% of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers’ businesses.
SOURCE: IPC
-- Posted by Vision Systems Design
