IPC releases book-to-bill ratio and PCB business report

SEPTEMBER 27--IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries (Northbrook, IL) announced that the US printed-circuit-board (PCB) industry book-to-bill ratio for August 2002 was 0.98. Sales billed (shipments) in August 2002 decreased 8.9% from August 2001, and orders booked decreased 1.7% from August 2001. Compared to 2001, bookings of PCBs are down 18% year-to-date, while shipments of PCBs are down 29% year-to-date. The ratio is calculated by averaging the number of orders booked over the past three months and dividing by the average sales billed during the same period.

The PCB Business Report, an IPC statistical report that tracks the dynamics of the US PCB industry, reported the PCB shipment index was 125.7 and the PCB booking index was 117.6 for August 2002. The IPC PCB shipment index in August 2002 increased 10.6% from 113.6 in July 2002, and the IPC PCB booking index in August 2002 decreased 1.2% from 118.9 in July 2002.

The information in IPC's monthly industry statistics is based on data provided by both rigid and flexible PCB manufacturers that participate in IPC's monthly Statistical Program. These companies represent 60% of the US domestic PCB market. For more information, contact IPC market research manager John Hassman at [email protected] or 847-790-5320.