FRANKFURT -- German printed circuit board fabricators reported sales fell 6.7% year-over-year in September, while orders dropped sharply.

New orders were down 28.8% year-on-year in September, said ZVEI PCB and Electronic Systems, which tracks the data.

September 2010 represented peak monthly revenue for the year, noted ZVEI, and year-to-date 2011 sales are among the best of the past decade.

The book-to-bill ratio fell five basis points to 0.70, the lowest September mark since 1993, when the organization began tracking the data. A ratio of 0.70 means that for every 100 euros worth of PCBs shipped, 70 euros worth were ordered. A ratio below 1.0 is considered an indicator of coming slower demand.

Industry employment fell 0.8% sequentially but was up 3% over a year ago.