North American printed circuit board shipments increased 3.4 percent in December compared to December 2013, according to the Association Connecting Electronics Industries (IPC). Board shipments also increased 6.4 percent from November 2014.
New orders for printed circuit boards (PCBs) in December increased 7.9 percent, compared to December 2013, as the year-to-date order growth rate improved to 0.6 percent. Orders grew 13.4 percent in December compared to the previous month.
The North American PCB book-to-bill ratio increased to 1.07 in December from 1.06 in November.
“PCB business in North America was virtually flat in 2014 compared to the previous year,” said Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research. “Sales ended the year less than one percentage point below 2013, while orders finished the year just 0.6 percent above 2013,” she said. Strong orders in the fourth quarter have kept the book-to-bill ratio “solidly in positive territory, which bodes well for sales growth in 2015,” said Starr.
Meanwhile, the three-month average of worldwide bookings for semiconductor equipment in December 2014 decreased 1.1 percent from December 2013, but increased 12.3 percent from November 2013, according to trade association SEMI.
New equipment orders in December 2014 totaled $1.36 billion, up from $1.22 billion in November. Equipment orders in December 2013 were $1.38 billion.
The three-month average of worldwide shipments in December 2014 was $1.39 billion, up 17 percent from $1.19 billion in November and 3.1 percent from December 2013 when shipments totaled $1.35 billion. The semiconductor equipment book-to-bill ratio declined to 0.98 in December from 1.02 in November.
A ratio of 0.98 means equipment manufacturers received $98 in new orders for every $100 of orders that they shipped in the month.
"While three-month averages for both bookings and billings increased, billings outpaced bookings slightly, nudging the book-to-bill ratio slightly below parity," said SEMI President and CEO Denny McGuirk. He added that 2015 equipment spending is forecast to grow in 2015.
Questions or comments on this story? Contact dylan.mcgrath@ihs.com
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