BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit board orders declined 20.5% year-over-year in October, IPC says. Year-to-date orders increased 2.1%, while orders were down 6% sequentially.

Total North American PCB shipments increased 1.4% compared to October 2014.

Year-to-date shipments grew 0.4%. Sequentially, PCB shipments were down 6.9%.

The book-to-bill ratio retreated to 1.02 from 1.05 in September. A ratio of more than one suggests current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to six months.

“Modest sales growth continued in October for the North American PCB industry, thanks to strong order growth earlier in the year,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “A sharp decline in orders pulled down the book-to-bill ratio in October, although it remains in positive territory. Thirteen consecutive months of positive book-to-bill ratios indicate positive sales growth in the fourth quarter of this year, provided orders bounce back.”

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