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.
HERNDON, VA – iNEMI will review highlights of its latest electronics industry roadmap on Mar. 29 with two free webinar sessions.
The 1.5-hour webinars will discuss trends and highlights identified in the roadmap; review key technology drivers from medical, automotive and portable electronics, and discuss highlights from selected technology chapters (packaging and substrates, board assembly, environmentally conscious electronics, and test, inspection and measurement).
The more than 1800-page document identifies issues and R&D needs of the electronics manufacturing industry for the next 10 years.
SAN JOSE – The 90-day moving average orders for North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers rose 26.7% year-over-year in February, according to the industry's top trade group.
DUBLIN – The overall global printed circuit board software and services market, which was on a decline, is expected to see a surge in market growth. This can be attributed to the increase in the printed circuit boards market, Research and Markets says.
The printed circuit board software market is also witnessing a growing number of vendors, in addition to some mergers and acquisitions, according to the research firm.
The increasing number of layers and interconnect require the use of enhanced simulation tools, which in turn, increases the market for PCB software tools.
Increasing complexities of circuits has been a key driver for this market, the firm adds. However, the increasing costs and complexity could prove to pose challenges to market growth.
