BANNOCKBURN, IL — North American printed circuit board fabricators reported the 90-day moving average PCB orders in July were up 18.6% year-over-year and down 4.3% sequentially.

PCB shipments were up 7.3% compared to July 2020, a decrease of 15.8% sequentially.

The book-to-bill ratio was 1.29, compared to 1.15 in June. 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 twelve months.

"The North American PCB sector continues to see strong demand, but supply chain shortages are slowing shipments, leading to a growing backlog,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist. “The book-to-bill of 1.29 is a historic high, going back to the start of the IPC PCB report in 1991."