ARLINGTON, VA -- August orders for electronics components rose, reversing a summer dip, the Electronic Components Association said today. Orders remained flat year-over-year, however, the trade group said.

In a press release, president Bob Willis said the cycle is following historical seasonality trends. "Historically, we've seen a summer downturn followed by an acceleration in orders during the fall. I suspect that this is what's happening here."

ECA said it altered the baseline year of its monthly order index from 1996 to 2006 to better reflect the current market. The switch resulted in greater volatility in the adjusted four- to five-week results, but 12-month average results are not affected. Also, the trade group now tracks only North American orders, which ensures greater reporting consistency among manufacturers participating in the survey, ECA said.