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(May 27, 2008) BANNOCKBURN, Ill. — IPC's combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio reached 1.01 in April 2008, representing a steady positive in 2008, which began in January with a 0.97 book-to-bill ratio. The book-to-bill numbers are holding steady at a higher level than 2007, confirmed Denny McGuirk, IPC president.
Rigid PCB shipments are up 12.2% and bookings are up 5.6% in April 2008 from April 2007. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments are up 6.6% and bookings are up 12.9%. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments decreased 14.7% and rigid bookings decreased 19.3%. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in April 2008 edged up above parity to 1.01. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 88% of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC's World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report for the Year 2006.
Flexible circuit shipments in April 2008 are up 22.8% and bookings are down 4.8% compared to April 2007. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments are up 5.0% and bookings are down 14.3%. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments are down 12.5% and flex bookings fell 16.8%. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio remained at 0.99. In April, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC's survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for approximately 59% of their shipment value reported for the month.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in April 2008 increased 12.9% from April 2007, and orders booked increased 4.8% from April 2007. Year to date, combined industry shipments are up 6.5% and bookings are up 10.6%. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for April 2008 are down 14.6% and bookings are down 19.1%. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in April 2008 reached 1.01.
IPC's monthly survey of the North American PCB industry tracks bookings and shipments from U.S. and Canadian facilities, which provide indicators of regional demand. These numbers do not measure U.S. and Canadian PCB production. To track regional production trends, however, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the USA or Canada). In April 2008, 87% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 87% of rigid PCB and 86% of flexible circuit shipments in April by IPC's survey participants.
The information in IPC's monthly PCB industry statistics is based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid and flexible PCB manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit www.ipc.org.
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