IPC has announced the April findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Notable among the month’s findings is the PCB book-to-bill ratio, which reached 1.10, its highest level since July 2010.
PCB Bookings Gain Strength
Total North American PCB shipments were down 7% in April 2013 from April 2012, but bookings increased 7.2% year over year. Year to date, PCB industry shipments were down 5.1% and bookings were down 2.3%. Compared to the previous month, PCB shipments in April decreased 9.9%, and bookings declined 14.3%. Bookings have outpaced shipments for the past five months.
“North American PCB sales in April continued to lag behind 2012 levels, although sales in the flexible circuit segment are strengthening,” said Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research. “Rigid PCB orders for the month exceeded last year’s orders and continued to push the book-to-bill ratio up to a strong 1.10. This is the fifth consecutive monthly increase in the ratio, which reinforces our hope that PCB sales will strengthen during the coming months.”
The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to six months.
Interpreting the Data
Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they may reflect cyclical effects and short-term volatility. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month may not be significant unless a trend of more than three consecutive months is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.