The latest data published by IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) in the “North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program” show the October findings. Orders increased sharply, driving up the book-to-bill ratio, while sales remained flat. Total North American PCB shipments increased by 0.8% in October 2014 from October 2013, bringing year-to-date shipment growth to -1%. PCB bookings increased by 28.8% compared to October 2013, improving the year-to-date order growth rate to -1.1%. Order growth jumped 15.5% in October compared to the previous month. Besides, the North American PCB book-to-bill ratio rebounded to 1.05 in October. “Unusually strong growth in North American PCB orders in October is good news for an industry that has experienced declining sales for more than three years”, said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The impact can be seen in the book-to-bill ratio, which made a strong comeback this month, indicating that sales may begin to rebound by the end of the year”, she added.
