BANNOCKBURN, IL –  Total North American printed circuit board shipments decreased 0.9% in June year-over-year, leaving year-to-date shipment growth  down 0.3%, says IPC.

Sequentially, PCB shipments were up 9.1%.

PCB orders were up 4.2% compared to June 2013, making this the first year-over-year order increase in eight months.

Year-to-date order growth was down 6% year-over-year. Order growth jumped 28.3% sequentially in June.

The North American PCB book-to-bill ratio returned to parity at one for the month. A ratio of more than one suggests current demand is ahead of supply, a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to six months.

“The PCB book-to-bill ratio has been hovering around one since February, which explains the flat year-to-date sales growth we are seeing,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “This month’s growth in orders is a positive sign, however, and if it continues, we can expect to see sales improve later this year.”