Printed circuit board shipments declined 7.7 percent year over year in January, while new orders fell 3.7 percent, according to Association Connecting Electronics Industries (IPC).
Board shipments, including rigid boards and flexible circuits, declined 6.9 percent in January compared to December, while new orders fell 7 percent compared to the previous month, IPC said.
The board book-to-bill ratio in January was 0.95, up from 0.92 in December. A ratio of 0.95 means that board manufacturers received $95 in new orders for every $100 of orders that they shipped in the month.
"January is typically a slow month in electronics manufacturing, especially compared to December, but this winter the industry may also be feeling the effects of weather-related slowdowns," said Sharon Starr, IPC's director of market research. “The good news is that the book-to-bill ratio continued to climb in January," although it was still below parity, she added.
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