FRANKFURT – The German area printed circuit board industry closed the first quarter with the highest order intake since 2019, says ZVEI, up 19% year-over-year. PCB sales in the region rose 12.3% year-over-year.

In all sectors, signs point to recovery, even well above the pre-crisis level. The number of employees has also returned to the pre-crisis level of 2019, although it was able to be kept at a high level in 2020 thanks to short-time working, among other things, says ZVEI.

The book-to-bill ratio in the first quarter was 1.13, over 1.1 for the third reporting period in a row.

The manufacturers' business expectations for the next few months are consistently positive. After a positive start to the quarter, a third of the companies surveyed see further improvement in the economy, while two-thirds expect the level to remain at the same high level.

However, the mood could be dampened by the tense supply situation for months. With basic material, delivery times have increased, in some cases drastically, due to tight offers and transport capacities.