Rigid PCB shipments were up 5.4 percent and bookings down 7.3 percent in June 2011 from June 2010, according to the latest report from IPC, the Association Connecting Electronic Industries. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments increased 4.4 percent and bookings declined 8.9 percent.
Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 15.3 percent and rigid bookings increased 10.4 percent. Flexible circuit shipments in June 2011 were down 5.9 percent and bookings grew 30.8 percent compared to June 2010. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments increased 10.1 percent and bookings also increased 10.1 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments increased 4.7 percent and flex bookings climbed by 21.9 percent.
For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in June 2011 increased 4.4 percent from June 2010, as orders booked decreased 4.2 percent from June 2010. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 4.8 percent and bookings were down 7.3 percent. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for June 2011 increased 14.4 percent and bookings increased 11.5 percent.
The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in June 2011 jumped to 1.13, while the book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in June 2011 was slightly below parity at 0.98. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in June 2011 reached parity at 1.00. Rule of thumb: A ratio of more than 1.00 suggest that demand is currently ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months. “The industry’s book-to-bill ratio has returned to parity due to unusually high growth in flexible circuit orders in June,” said IPC President & CEO Denny McGuirk. “This indicates strong sales in the flex segment over the next several months. Rigid PCB sales growth is still positive but trending downward due to weaker orders.”IPC's complete June 2011 report is available online.