North American printed circuit board shipments up 35.7 percent in April, as industry economic recovery gains momentum
BANNOCKBURN, Ill., 28 May 2010. North American rigid printed circuit board (PCB) shipments were up 35.7 percent in April from the same month one year ago in another indication of economic recovery in the electronics industry, report officials of IPC -- the Association Connecting Electronics Industries in Bannockburn, Ill.
PCB bookings, meanwhile, increased 40.6 percent in April 2010 from April 2009, while year-to-date rigid PCB shipments are up 14.9 percent and bookings have grown 34 percent, IPC analysts say. The IPC is a global trade association representing 2,700 electronics industry companies involved in design, circuit board manufacturing, electronics assembly, and test.
"The book-to-bill ratio just keeps on climbing," says Denny McGuirk, president and chief executive officer of IPC. "It has now been above parity for a full 12 months, indicating a recovery that is gaining momentum."
Compared to March 2010, rigid PCB shipments decreased 12.3 percent in April, while rigid PCB bookings decreased 15.7 percent. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in April 2010 continued its climb to 1.11.
Flexible circuit shipments in April were down 14.9 percent, but bookings were up 6.6 percent compared to April 2009. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments were down 5.5 percent and bookings were up 7.0 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments went down 26.4 percent and flex bookings declined by 21.5 percent. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in April 2010 remained at 0.98.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in April 2010 increased 30.7 percent from April 2009, as orders booked increased 37.6 percent from April 2009. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 13.2 percent and bookings were up 31.8 percent. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for April 2010 decreased 13.4 percent and bookings went down 16.1 percent. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in April 2010 increased to 1.10.
For more information contact the IPC online at www.ipc.org.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
