FRANKFURT – Sales at printed circuit board manufacturers in the Germany, Austria and Switzerland region recovered sequentially but remained down in the first quarter. Sales were up 16.1% sequentially, rebounding from a significant drop at the end of last year, but fell 7.5% year-over-year, according to ZVEI.

January and February had the worst results, with a slight increase in sales in March marginally reducing backlog, the firm says.

Orders in the first quarter increased 12% year-over-year and 14% sequentially.

The printed circuit board manufacturers in the region benefited from the relocation of orders from China that could not be delivered since January due to the coronavirus outbreak. Orders in February were high. From mid-March, business largely came to a standstill due to global restrictions.

The book-to-bill ratio reached 1.05, but this amount is deceptive because it may be questionable whether and when orders placed in the first quarter can be delivered, says ZVEI.

The number of employees in the industry decreased 4% overall in the first quarter compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

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