FRANKFURT -- German printed circuit board fabricators reported March sales rose 2.6% year-over-year on a 30-day moving average basis. 

First-quarter revenue was down 1.7% from a year ago, ZVEI said.

Orders rose 27% sequentially and 11.5% from a year ago to their highest level for the month since 2010. The segments reporting growth included industrial and automotive electronics. Orders are down 8% year-over-year for the quarter. 

The book-to-bill ratio for the month was 1.05, meaning 105 euros in orders were received for every 100 euros worth of boards shipped.

The number of employees at German fabricators rose about 5% from March 2014.