FRANKFURT -- Germany’s PCB industry continued to grow in May as orders for printed circuit boards rose 26.6% over April.

Sales were up 7% over April and 26% higher than a year ago, ZVEI PCB and Electronic Systems said.

Compared with the average for the month over the past decade, orders were 3% higher.

The book-to-bill ratio meanwhile improved to 0.87, up from 14 basis points from April, meaning for every 100 euros worth of boards sold, 87 euros worth of boards were ordered. It was the fifth month in a row that the ratio was below the benchmark 1.0 level, an indicator of near-term future growth.

Year to date orders were down 11% from 2010. Backlogs are up 65% over last year, ZVEI said. Sales are up 22% over last year.

Germany is Europe's largest PCB-producing state. Europe is on track for 2011 revenues of about $3 billion, according to Dr. Hayao Nakahara of N.T. Information

Employment has improved, with temporary contracts being converted into permanent employment.

• Prev
• Next