BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American EMS shipments in August declined 4.4% compared to the same month last year, according to IPC's North American EMS Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.27.

Compared to July, August shipments decreased 1.3%.

EMS bookings in August increased 16.4% year-over-year and increased 24.3% from the previous month.

"A strong recovery in orders this month pushed the book-to-bill ratio higher. While orders had been weak in recent months, August's performance helped reverse the trend," said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist. "However, it remains to be seen whether this is a correction of recent weakness or a one-off event."

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.