DECEMBER 3, 2009--IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries (Bannockburn, IL, USA; www.ipc.org) has released its October findings from the monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.
Rigid PCB shipments declined 14.0% and bookings were down 2.1% in October 2009 from October 2008. Year-to-date, rigid PCB shipments were down 26.0% and bookings fell by 22.7%. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments declined 7.8% and rigid bookings decreased 16.2%. The book-to-bill (B:B) ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in October 2009 increased slightly to 1.10.
Flexible circuit shipments in October 2009 went up 4.3% and bookings decreased 2.6% compared to October 2008. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments were down 0.9% and bookings were down 4.7%. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments went down 14.1% and flex bookings fell by 30.9%. The North American flexible circuit B:B ratio in October 2009 climbed to 1.00.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in October 2009 decreased 12.8% from October 2008 and orders booked decreased 2.1% from October 2008. Year to date, combined industry shipments were down 24.4% and bookings were down 21.5%. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for October 2009 decreased 8.3% and bookings went down 17.4%. The combined (rigid and flex) industry B:B ratio in October 2009 reached 1.09.
"Although year-on-year growth rates are still mostly negative, we can see a positive growth trend in North American PCB sales and orders compared to most earlier months in 2009," says IPC president Denny McGuirk. "Declines in sales from September to October of this year reflect a seasonal trend that we typically see at the beginning of a new quarter," he adds. "The overall trend, however, is upward and that is also reflected in the book-to-bill ratio, which has remained high for the past six months."
--Posted by Carrie Meadows, Vision Systems Design, www.vision-systems.com
