BANNOCKBURN, IL – Total North American PCB shipments in April were up 9.4% compared to the same month last year, IPC announced in findings from its North American PCB Statistical Program.

Compared to March's total, April shipments were up 18.6%. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.06.

PCB bookings in April were up 2.6% compared to last April, and were up 2.9% compared to March.

“Over the last few months, the PCB sector has demonstrated solid performance,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist. “Strong PCB shipments this month pulled the Book-to-Bill down from its recent high last month.”

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to twelve months. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the reverse.