IPC (Association Connecting Electronics Industries) announced the July findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Year-over-year sales and order growth continued in July and the book-to-bill ratio strengthened to 1.09. Total North American PCB shipments increased 2.7 percent in July 2015 from July 2014. However, year-to-date shipment growth remained at -0.3, reflecting the negative growth rates seen earlier this year. Compared to the previous month, PCB shipments were down 14.3 percent. PCB bookings grew 5.8 percent compared to July 2014, increasing year-to-date order growth to 3.9 percent. Orders were down 20.6 percent in July compared to the previous month. “North American PCB sales and orders continued to exceed last year’s levels in July – said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research -. The negative month-to-month growth rates in sales and orders reflect normal seasonal patterns. The best news is the 10-month run of positive book-to-bill ratios, as this is a good indicator of sales growth in the second half of this year”.
