Year to date, rigid printed circuit board shipments were up 19.9 percent and bookings have grown 34.9 percent, IPC’s July electronics report indicated. Compared to the previous month, rigid printed circuit board shipments decreased 14.7 percent and rigid bookings decreased 16.9 percent.
Flexible circuit shipments in July 2010 were up 38.2 percent, and bookings were up 28.8 percent compared to July 2009. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments increased 5.8 percent and bookings were up 17.5 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments went up 4.6 percent and flex bookings declined 4.9 percent.
For rigid printed circuit board and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in July 2010 increased 25.2 percent from July 2009, as orders booked increased 33.9 percent from July 2009. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 18.7 percent and bookings were up 33.4 percent. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for July 2010 decreased 13.1 percent and bookings went down 16.0 percent.
The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid printed circuit board industry in July 2010 stood at 1.11, while the flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in July 2010 remained positive but slipped down to 1.06. The combined—rigid and flex—industry book-to-bill ratio in July 2010 was 1.11. Note: 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.
“We are still seeing double-digit year-on-year growth rates for both rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits as of July,” said Denny McGuirk, IPC president & CEO. “July is typically a slower sales month than June, but sales are strong. The most encouraging indicator is the book-to-bill ratio, which continues solidly positive for the 15th consecutive month. That is a sign of continuing strength in sales for the remainder of the year.”
The full July report is available on IPC’s website.
