BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PCB shipments fell 28.3% in March, while orders dropped 38%, according to IPC.
 
Year to date, combined shipments are down 22.7% and orders declined 34%. The book-to-bill for March was 0.91, says IPC.
 
For March, rigid shipments fell 30.5%, and orders were down 39.8% compared to the same period last year. Shipments and bookings did show positive growth over February figures, up 9.6% and 10.5% respectively.
 
Year to date, rigid shipments dropped 24.6% and bookings are down 35.6%, says IPC.
 
Flexible circuit shipments for March rose 1% and bookings fell 12% compared to last year. The book-to-bill for the month declined to 0.87.
 
Flexible shipments climbed 22.3% over February figures, and bookings were up 15%.
 
Year to date, shipments are up 6%, while bookings are down 7.4%, says IPC.
 
Although sales and orders increased in March, rigid PCBs have not seen significant growth year-on-year. Orders have not picked up, and sales are expected to remain weak in the second quarter, according to Denny McGuirk, president IPC.
 
 
Submit to FacebookSubmit to Google PlusSubmit to TwitterSubmit to LinkedInPrint Article