SAN JOSE -- North American manufacturers of semiconductor equipment booked $754 million in orders in September 2008 on a three-month average basis, down 13% from revised August figures and off 39% year-over-year.
The book-to-bill ratio was 0.76, meaning $76 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month, SEMI said.
The three-month average worldwide billings for the month, was $990 million, down 7% from August and 36% from September 2007.
"The continued decline in capex spending is accompanied by a major global economic downturn that may have a significant impact on overall consumer electronics spending," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, in a press release. "Clearly, concern over these larger economic issues is restraining any immediate capacity investment plans."