JUNE 2--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 April 2003 was 0.97.Sales billed (shipments) in April 2003 decreased 29.5% from April 2002, and orders booked decreased 32.6% from April 2002. Compared to 2002, bookings of PCBs are down 22.9% year-to-date, while shipments of PCBs are down 25.8% year-to-date.
TheIMS/PCB Business Report, an IPC statistical report that tracks the dynamics of the US IMS industry, reported the IMS/PCB shipment index was 93.0 and the IMS/PCB booking index was 83.3 for April 2003. The IPC IMS/PCB shipment index in April 2003 decreased 13.45% from 107.4 in March 2003, and the IPC IMS/PCB booking index in April 2003 decreased 23.8% from 109.3 in March 2003.
The information in IPC's monthly industry statistics is based on data provided by both rigid and flexible PCB manufacturers that participate in IPC's monthly program. These companies represent 60% of the US domestic IMS market.
