IPC - Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announced today the December findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.

Rigid PCB shipments are down 14.2% and bookings are down 24.5% in December 2008 from December 2007. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments are up 0.9% and bookings are down 5.5%. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments decreased 0.9% and rigid bookings decreased 4.6%. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in December 2008 fell to 0.89.Flexible circuit shipments in December 2008 are down 17.1%, but bookings are up 23.8% compared to December 2007. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments are up 3.4% and bookings are down 3.1%. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments are up 23.7% and flex bookings nearly doubled, up 99.9%. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in December 2008 jumped to 1.08.

 For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in December 2008 decreased 14.5% from December 2007 and orders booked decreased 21.1% from December 2007. Year to date, combined industry shipments are up 1.1% and bookings are down 5.3%. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for December 2008 are up 0.6% and bookings are up 1.3%.  The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in December 2008 dipped to 0.90.

Related posts:

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3. IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for October 2009
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5. Weak Beginning for German PCB Market in 2009