BANNOCKBURN, IL – Total North American printed circuit board shipments decreased 0.7% year-over-year in September, says IPC.

Year-to-date shipments were down 3.5% compared to the same period last year, but they are improving, according to the association.

North American PCB orders were up 3.1% year-over-year in September.

Year-to-date, orders were down 0.6%. Year-to-date PCB orders have been generally flat during the second and third quarters of 2013, says IPC.

Sales and order growth remained slow in September, with the book-to-bill ratio slipping below parity to 0.98. A ratio of more than one suggests current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to six months. 

Sequential growth in PCB shipments and orders was positive in September, reflecting normal seasonal patterns, says the association. Sequentially, PCB shipments were up 9.7%, and bookings increased 6.5%.

“A combination of slower order growth and shipments that exceeded bookings in August and September brought the book-to-bill ratio below parity to 0.98,” said IPC’s director of market research Sharon Starr.  “Although year-on-year shipment growth in the North American PCB industry is still negative, it has been moving in the right direction. The recovery we expected to see in late 2013 has been dampened by the industry’s expectation of slower economic growth in the fourth quarter due to the government shutdown.”