BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit board shipments in October decreased 9.6% year-over-year, as orders dipped 0.1% from October 2010, says IPC.

Year to date, shipments were down 1.1%, and orders were down 8.8%. Sequentially, shipments for October fell 11.9%, and orders dropped 1.4%.

The book-to-bill ratio for the month remained at 0.99.

A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

October rigid circuit board shipments were down 9.4%, and orders were up 1% year-over-year. Year to date, rigid board shipments decreased 1.3%, and orders declined 9.8%.

Sequentially, shipments decreased 10.3%, and orders were flat.

The rigid book-to-bill remained just below parity at 0.99.

Flex circuit board shipments were down 11.3%, while orders declined 10.3% compared to October 2010. Year to date, flex board shipments increased 0.3%, and orders were up 1.7%. Sequentially, flex circuit board shipments decreased 25.8%, and orders were down 14.3%.

The flex book-to-bill declined to 0.95.

“North American PCB sales are down from the previous month, but this is a normal seasonal pattern,” said Sharon Starr, IPC market research director. “The good news is that rigid PCB orders are holding steady,” she added.

In October, 83% of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 83% of rigid and 79% of flex circuit board shipments.

Flexible circuit board manufacturers indicated bare circuit boards accounted for about 60% of their shipment value for the month.

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