BANNOCKBURN, IL – Worldwide production of PCBs was basically flat in 2008, climbing a tepid 1% year-over-year to $50.8 billion.

And that's the good news. In 2009, the value of PWB production is expected take a double-digit hit.

China’s share of PWB production continued to grow in 2008, reaching 31.4% of world production, while most other countries’ shares either held steady or declined. Japan is the second-biggest producer, at 22.5%.

Asia now has 84% of the world’s PWB production value. North American and European PWB production declined slightly, holding 8% and 7% shares, respectively, in 2008.

HDI was one of the few growth markets in the PWB industry in 2008, says IPC.

The value of PWB production in Europe declined approximately 10% in real terms last year. In North America, the production decline was about 6.5%, while the North American market declined by around 5.3%, suggesting that production levels were affected by both a shrinking home market and continued movement of production to other regions.

IC substrates and high-performance PCBs were the only growth areas in North American PWB production in 2008, according to the association.