As reported by IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) in its “North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program”, although sales remained sluggish, in March 2015 bookings continued ahead of last year and the book-to-bill ratio held steady at 1.05. Total North American PCB shipments decreased 0.9 percent in March 2015 from March 2014, bringing year-to-date shipment growth to -1.3 percent. Compared to the previous month, PCB shipments were up 20.1 percent. PCB bookings increased by 1.6 percent compared to March 2014, improving the year-to-date order growth rate to 1.2 percent. Orders increased 16.9 percent in March compared to the previous month. “The North American PCB business continues to experience stagnant sales compared to last year, but bookings are slightly ahead of last year and are strengthening”, said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Strong growth in March sales and orders over the prior month reflects normal seasonal patterns”, she added. “The book-to-bill ratio has been positive for the past six months, which is a positive indicator for sales growth in the second and third quarters of 2015”.
