BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PCB shipments in May fell 32.2% year-over-year, while orders dropped 24.8%, says IPC. 
 
For the month, rigid board shipments dropped 34.2% and orders fell 25.7% from May 2008. Flex shipments fell 3%, and orders were down 12.9%.
 
The combined book-to-bill ratio for the month climbed 0.05 points to 1.02, the first time in 12 consecutive months that it was out of negative territory, reports the association. A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests current demand is ahead of supply, a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.
 
Year to date, combined shipments are down 26.9%, and orders are off 30.7%. Sequentially, combined shipments rose 2.1%, while orders fell 2.1%.
 
Year to date, May rigid shipments have fallen 29%, with orders down 32.2%. Sequentially, rigid shipments were up 3.6%; orders declined 1.1%. The rigid book-to-bill ratio climbed to 1.03, up 0.05 points from April.
 
Year to date, flexible shipments have increased 2.5%, and orders are down 7.1%. Sequentially, flexible shipments dropped 10.4%, with orders down 11.8%. The book-to-bill ratio rose 0.02 points to 0.96 for May.
 
In May, 88% of total shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 88% of rigid and 83% of flexible shipments, says IPC.   

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