BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PCB shipments in September fell 3.1%, while orders decreased 14.2% year-over-year, IPC said.
 
  Year to date, shipments rose 4.5%, and orders were down 1.1%. Sequentially, combined shipments for September were up 3.8%; orders were up 13.3%.  The book-to-bill ratio remained at 0.95.
 
For the month, rigid PWB shipments were down 3.8% year-over-year, while orders were down 16.4% compared to September last year. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were up 4.2%, and orders were down 0.8%. Sequentially, rigid PCB shipments increased 4.5% and orders increased 11%. The book-to-bill ratio moved up slightly to 0.96.
 
Flex circuit shipments were up 9%, and orders were up 25.2% compared to September 2007. Year to date, flex circuit shipments were up 9%, and orders were down 5.3%. Sequentially, flex circuit shipments were down 4.7%, while orders increased 50.8%. The book-to-bill ratio improved to 0.94.
 
In September, 86% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 85% of rigid PCB and 90% of flex circuit shipments by those surveyed. IPC does not disclose the number of companies participating in the survey.