Rigid PCB shipments were up 2.5% and bookings were down 14.9% in August compared to August 2007. Year-to-date, rigid PCB shipments were up 5.3% and bookings were up 1.7%. August showed a positive gain over July with PCB shipments up 5.8% and rigid bookings up 3.9%. Book-to-bill still remains negative at 0.95. 
 

The book-to-bill ratio for rigid PCBs has been below 1.00 for the past 4 consecutive months and only reached or exceeded 1.00 in 2008 during March and April. A ratio of less than 1.00 is a negative indicator, suggesting a contracting market. 

These numbers however do not measure actual U.S. and Canadian PCB production. The numbers only track regional production trends. The numbers are based on a survey of selected companies. These companies report only shipments that were produced domestically (in the U.S. or Canada). In August 2008, 76% of the total PCB shipments from these surveyed companies were domestically produced. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in the IPC’s survey sample.
 

 

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