BANNOCKBURN, Ill., 27 July 2010.BANNOCKBURN, Ill., 27 July 2010 U.S. and Canadian industry shipments of rigid printed circuit boards (PCBs) and flexible circuits in June 2010 increased 24.4 percent from June 2009, as orders booked increased 27.8 percent from June 2009, report analysts at IPC, the Association Connecting Electronics Industries, in Bannockburn, Ill.
Year to date, combined North American industry shipments of rigid board products and flexible circuits were up 17.6 percent and bookings were up 33.4 percent, IPC officials reported this week in the June findings from their monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical program.
Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for June 2010 increased 14.8 percent and bookings went up 8.6 percent. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in June 2010 was 1.12.
"The book-to-bill ratios for both rigid PCBs and flexible circuits remain well above parity, which suggests a positive outlook for the remainder of the year," says Denny McGuirk, IPC president and chief executive officer. "Sales growth is stabilizing, but year-on-year growth in both segments is continuing in double digits."
Rigid PCB shipments were up 25.3 percent while bookings increased 29.3 percent in June 2010 from June 2009. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were up 19.3 percent and bookings have grown 35.0 percent, Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 13.7 percent and rigid bookings increased 9.7 percent. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in June 2010 stood at 1.12.
Flexible circuit shipments in June 2010 were up 14.8 percent, and bookings were up 11.0 percent compared to June 2009. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments increased 0.6 percent and bookings were up 15.5 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments went up 28.1 percent and flex bookings declined 2.7 percent. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in June 2010 remained high at 1.15.
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 two to three months.
Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 89 percent of the current PCB industry in North America, IPC says. In June 2010, 83 percent of total PCB shipments reported in the U.S. and Canada were domestically produced. Domestic production also accounted for 83 percent of rigid PCB and 81 percent of flexible circuit shipments in June by IPC's survey participants.
For more information contact the IPC online at www.ipc.org.
