SURREY, ENGLAND – Asia's PCB growth will be sustained mainly by domestic demand, but will nevertheless grow just under 5% in 2013, says a UK research firm.

Growth will pick up in 2015 in China, with a rate between 6% and 7% between 2011 and 2016, says BPA Consulting.

The global PCB market will increase to $68.5 billion in 2016 from $56.6 billion in 2011, with China's share of PCB production increasing to 51% from 45%.

Although China continues to dominate PCB demand and production in both volume and value terms, the total market demand in Asia in 2013, at least, will be reduced by the economic downturn in the West, which is expected to continue for some years while the Eurozone restructures and recovers, says the firm. Growth in the short term, as a result of suppressed forecasted demand factors, will see production growth rates below what has been seen from China in the recent past.

The downturn in China at the end of 2011 and reduced growth rates particularly in the latter part of 2012 have been more severe for small and medium-sized fabricators than in the rest of Asia; this is expected to continue through the first half of 2013.