TOKYO – Japanese printed circuit board manufacturers reported August sales of ¥60.05 billion, up 10.1% year-over-year and down 4.9% sequentially.

Shipments reached 1.46 million sq. meters, down 12.5% sequentially and up 0.5% from last year, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trading and Industry (METI) said.

Year-to-date revenue is up 27% to ¥485.9 billion.

By segment, rigid board revenues were up 13.3% from a year ago, with multilayer PCBs trending even higher. Flexible circuits revenue fell 4.4% during the period on a 13% drop in volume. Buildup type product was up 30%.

“August is historically slow for the Japanese electronics industry due in part to nationwide summer vacations.  Industry production typically decreases during this month; however, this year’s production surpasses last August’s production by almost 60%,” noted analyst Dominique Numakura in his weekly newsletter. “Assuming demand continues on its current trend, growth should be 15 to 20% higher than last year.”

¥1 = $0.0123

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