BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit fabricators reported February shipments were up 11.1% year-over-year, as orders decreased 4.1%.

The book-to-bill ratio in February slipped to 0.95, says IPC. A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

February rigid printed circuit board shipments were up 11.4%, and orders fell 7.3% year-over-year. Flex circuit shipments were up 8.3%, and orders grew 36.3% compared to February 2010.

Through February, PCB shipments were up 7.8%, and orders were down 5.3%. Sequentially, circuit shipments increased 12.9%, and orders rose 7%.
Rigid shipments were up 7.7 %, and orders declined 7.5%. Sequentially, rigid shipments increased 13.2%, and orders were up 6.4%. Flex shipments increased 9.4%, and orders were up 19.7%. Sequentially, flex shipments increased 9.3%, and orders rose 12.6%. The rigid book-to-bill dipped to 0.94, while flex book-to-bill jumped to 1.10.

Rigid PCB sales have been growing faster than orders for the past six months, while the opposite is happening in the flexible circuit segment, IPC said.

Rigid circuits represent an estimated 89% of the current industry in North America. In February, 24% of the sales were to the military market. Rigid board producers reported military sales accounted for 23% of sales for the month, and flex circuit producers reported 38% military sales.

In February, 77% of total PWB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 76% of rigid and 88% of flex shipments.