Good news for the industry continues to remain for the PCB and PCBA sectors. Key booking figures continue to be strong. Let’s hope it keeps rolling.

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, July 26, 2010 — IPC — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announced today the June findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.

PCB Industry Growth Rates and Book-to-Bill Ratios Announced
Rigid PCB shipments were up 25.3 percent while bookings increased 29.3 percent in June 2010 from June 2009. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were up 19.3 percent and bookings have grown 35.0 percent. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 13.7 percent and rigid bookings increased 9.7 percent. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in June 2010 stood at 1.12.

View all the charts in PDF

Flexible circuit shipments in June 2010 were up 14.8 percent, and bookings were up 11.0 percent compared to June 2009. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments increased 0.6 percent and bookings were up 15.5 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments went up 28.1 percent and flex bookings declined 2.7 percent. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in June 2010 remained high at 1.15.

View all the charts in PDF

For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in June 2010 increased 24.4 percent from June 2009, as orders booked increased 27.8 percent from June 2009. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 17.6 percent and bookings were up 33.4 percent. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for June 2010 increased 14.8 percent and bookings went up 8.6 percent. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in June 2010 was 1.12.

“The book-to-bill ratios for both rigid PCBs and flexible circuits remain well above parity, which suggests a positive outlook for the remainder of the year,” said IPC President & CEO Denny McGuirk.  “Sales growth is stabilizing, but year-on-year growth in both segments is continuing in double digits,” he added.

View all the charts in PDF

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample.  A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

View all the charts in PDF

Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 90 percent of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC’s World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report.

The Role of Domestic Production
IPC’s monthly survey of the North American PCB industry tracks bookings and shipments from U.S. and Canadian facilities, which provide indicators of regional demand. These numbers do not measure U.S. and Canadian PCB production. To track regional production trends, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the USA or Canada). In June 2010, 83 percent of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production also accounted for 83 percent of rigid PCB and 81 percent of flexible circuit shipments in June by IPC’s survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which changed slightly in January, but are kept constant through the remainder of the year.

Bare Circuits Versus Assembly
Flexible circuit sales typically include value-added services such as assembly, in addition to the bare flex circuits. In June, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC’s survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 77 percent of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers’ businesses. This figure is also sensitive to changes in the survey sample, which may occur at the beginning of each calendar year.

Interpreting the Data
Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they may reflect cyclical effects. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month may not be significant unless a trend of more than three consecutive months is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

The information in IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics is based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid and flexible PCB manufacturers in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio and the PCB Statistical Program Report each month. Statistics for the previous month are not available until the last week of the following month.

Contact:
Sharon Starr, IPC Director of Market Research
P:  +1 847-597-2817 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +1 847-597-2817 end_of_the_skype_highlighting
E:  SharonStarr@ipc.org

# # #

About IPC
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 2,700 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $1.7 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; and Shanghai and Shenzhen, China.

Please visit our home page at: www.pcb-solutions.com We are a supplier of Domestic and off-shore Rigid, Rigid-Flex and Flex Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), Domestic Military PCBs, Domestic Tier I PCBA, Domestic Sheet Metal, Domestic Injection Molding and other Custom Fabricated Services.

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/pcb.html

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/flex.html

From http://www.researchandmarkets.com

In 2009, the output value of the global PCB industry reached about US$40.6 billion, down 15.83% over 2008. This was mainly caused by continuously decreasing PCB shipment and average prices. As for main sub-sectors, the output value of the global substrate, rigid PCB and flexible printed circuit (FPC) board sectors descended by 50%, 20% and 3.8% respectively compared with 2008. The decline of the global substrate and rigid PCB sectors is mainly due to the sharp drop of sales volume of desktops and medium to high-end notebooks. In comparison, the global FPC board sector declined more slightly in 2009, thanks to the growing number of LED backlight modules and Smart Phone FPC boards as well as the touch panel boom.

From 2000 to 2009, in terms of output value, computer, communications, industrial/medical, military and automotive PCBs decreased by 3%, 13.5%, 20.5%, 20.1% and 26.8% respectively, while consumer electronics PCB and package substrate increased by 15.8% and 68% respectively. Single-sided/double-sided PCB and multilayer PCB decreased by 37.3% and 25.2% respectively, while high-density interconnect (HDI) board, package substrate and FPC increased by 163.1%, 68.1% and 90.0% respectively.

In 2009, from the perspective of the global PCB distribution pattern, Mainland China, Japan and Taiwan were still the main production areas, South Korea continued to expand its PCB industry, while Europe and the United States were in recession. Compared with Japan and South Korea with advantages in high-end products such as IC substrate and FPC board, and Taiwan with advantages in mobile phone PCB, China, mainly engaged in single-sided PCB and multilayer PCB, is inferior in terms of the technical content of the PCB industry.

In 2009, China’s PCB industry for the first time saw its output value decline slightly by 3.6% to US$16.35 billion. Nevertheless, its share in the global PCB output value continued to rise. Among China’s top 100 PCB enterprises in terms of sales revenue, local ones performed well, for example, the sales revenue of Bomin Electronic rose by 150.7% over 2008.

Here is to a better 2010…

Please visit our home page at: www.pcb-solutions.com We are a supplier of Domestic and off-shore Rigid, Rigid-Flex and Flex Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), Domestic Military PCBs, Domestic Tier I PCBA, Domestic Sheet Metal, Domestic Injection Molding and other Custom Fabricated Services.

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/pcb.html

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/flex.html

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, June 25, 2010 — IPC — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announced today the May findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.

PCB Industry Growth Rates and Book-to-Bill Ratios Announced
Rigid PCB shipments were up 31.4 percent while bookings increased 45.8 percent in May 2010 from May 2009. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were up 18.0 percent and bookings have grown 36.3 percent. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 1.3 percent and rigid bookings increased 6.5 percent. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in May 2010 continued its climb to 1.13.

View all the charts in PDF

Flexible circuit shipments in May 2010 were up 10.5 percent, and bookings were up 59.3 percent compared to May 2009. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments were down 2.6 percent and bookings were up 16.7 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments went up 16.0 percent and flex bookings grew by 33.4 percent. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in May 2010 made a long leap up to 1.18.

View all the charts in PDF

For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in May 2010 increased 29.6 percent from May 2009, as orders booked increased 46.8 percent from May 2009. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 16.2 percent and bookings were up 34.7 percent. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for May 2010 increased 2.2 percent and bookings went up 8.3 percent. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in May 2010 increased to 1.13.

“Both yearly and monthly growth rates in the North American PCB industry are now positive,” said IPC President & CEO Denny McGuirk. “That means the industry is not only doing better than last year, but is growing monthly as well. Despite strong sales,” he added, “orders are growing even faster. That keeps moving the book-to-bill ratio up, which indicates continued sales growth this year.”

View all the charts in PDF

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

View all the charts in PDF

Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 90 percent of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC’s World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report.

The Role of Domestic Production
IPC’s monthly survey of the North American PCB industry tracks bookings and shipments from U.S. and Canadian facilities, which provide indicators of regional demand. These numbers do not measure U.S. and Canadian PCB production. To track regional production trends, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the USA or Canada). In May 2010, 84 percent of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production also accounted for 84 percent of rigid PCB and flexible circuit shipments in May by IPC’s survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which changed slightly in January, but will remain constant through the remainder of the year.

Bare Circuits Versus Assembly
Flexible circuit sales typically include value-added services such as assembly, in addition to the bare flex circuits. In May, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC’s survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 58 percent of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers’ businesses. This figure is also sensitive to changes in the survey sample, which may occur at the beginning of each calendar year.

Interpreting the Data
Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they may reflect cyclical effects. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month may not be significant unless a trend of three consecutive months or more is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

The information in IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics is based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid and flexible PCB manufacturers in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio and the PCB Statistical Program Report each month. Statistics for the previous month are not available until the last week of the following month.

Contact:
Sharon Starr, IPC Director of Market Research
P:  +1 847-597-2817
E:  SharonStarr@ipc.org

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Please visit our home page at: www.pcb-solutions.com We are a supplier of Domestic and off-shore Rigid, Rigid-Flex and Flex Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), Domestic Military PCBs, Domestic Tier I PCBA, Domestic Sheet Metal, Domestic Injection Molding and other Custom Fabricated Services.

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/pcb.html

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/flex.html

Something that electronics purchasers are suffering from at the moment is long delivery times on printed circuit boards. Something that often occurs during economical upturns.

The PCB delivery shortage is partly due to the limited availability of PCB laminates. In turn this is due to increased copper deficiency, something that happens in most economic upturns. This has resulted in a sudden price increase for the laminate. The price increase in China is around 20% and in extreme cases 25%. This price increase is not reflected fully in the total PCB price. If the laminate price in China increases by 20% the PCB price tends to increase approximately 15%, a source told Evertiq. It is also more likely that price increases are higher from Chinese manufacturers than from European manufacturers, the source noted.

PCB delivery shortage is not the biggest problem that electronics buyers today are suffering from. The lack of components allow buyers to wait even longer after the PCBs have been delivered. Several semiconductor giants have delivery times around 20 weeks at present and 3 days just to get the components out from the warehouses, according to an electronics purchaser. It has happened several times that many component manufacturers have not prioritized to recognize purchasing orders.

Several European PCB manufacturers told Evertiq that they are running on full production at the moment. On the PCB-trading side, the average delivery time on trading volumes from PCB distributors is 5-6 weeks. Just a few months ago, the delivery time was 3-4 weeks.

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Please visit our home page at: www.pcb-solutions.com We are a supplier of Domestic and off-shore Rigid, Rigid-Flex and Flex Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), Domestic Military PCBs, Domestic Tier I PCBA, Domestic Sheet Metal, Domestic Injection Molding and other Custom Fabricated Services.

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/pcb.html

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/flex.html

BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, March 25, 2010 — IPC — IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announced today the February findings from its monthly North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program.

PCB Industry Growth Rates and Book-to-Bill Ratios Announced
Rigid PCB shipments were up 9.4 percent while bookings increased 36.4 percent in February 2010 from February 2009. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were up 3.6 percent and bookings have grown 27.9 percent. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 4.7 percent and rigid bookings increased 8.1 percent. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in February 2010 grew to 1.09.

View all the charts in PDF

Flexible circuit shipments in February 2010 were down 2.1 percent, but bookings were down 37.4 percent compared to February 2009. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments were down 3.1 percent and bookings were down 0.4 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments went up 4.9 percent and flex bookings fell by 36.4 percent. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio fell below parity to 0.92.

View all the charts in PDF

For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in February 2010 increased 8.5 percent from February 2009, as orders booked increased 29.1 percent from February 2009. Year to date, combined industry shipments were up 3.0 percent and bookings were up 25.6 percent. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for February 2010 increased 4.8 percent and bookings went up 4.5 percent. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in February 2010 increased to 1.07.

“Rigid PCB bookings have outpaced shipments for the past 11 months. That’s reflected in the high rigid PCB book-to-bill ratio and it’s an encouraging indicator of future growth,” said IPC President & CEO Denny McGuirk. “We saw a big drop in flexible circuit orders in February, but no sign of a trend yet, due to the volatility of flex orders and sales.”

View all the charts in PDF

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

View all the charts in PDF

Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 90 percent of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC’s World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report.

Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 90 percent of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC’s World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report.

The Role of Domestic Production
IPC’s monthly survey of the North American PCB industry tracks bookings and shipments from U.S. and Canadian facilities, which provide indicators of regional demand. These numbers do not measure U.S. and Canadian PCB production. To track regional production trends, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the USA or Canada). In February 2010, 83 percent of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 85 percent of rigid PCB and 68 percent of flexible circuit shipments in February by IPC’s survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which changed slightly in January, but will remain constant through the remainder of the year.

Bare Circuits Versus Assembly
Flexible circuit sales typically include value-added services such as assembly, in addition to the bare flex circuits. In February, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC’s survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 56 percent of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers’ businesses. This figure is also sensitive to changes in the survey sample, which may occur at the beginning of each calendar year.

Interpreting the Data
Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they may reflect cyclical effects. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month may not be significant unless a trend of three consecutive months or more is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

The information in IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics is based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid and flexible PCB manufacturers in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio and the PCB Statistical Program Report each month. Statistics for the previous month are not available until the last week of the following month.

About IPC
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 2,700 member companies which represent all facets of the electronic interconnect industry, including design, printed circuit board manufacturing and electronics assembly. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $1.5 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; and Shanghai, China.

Please visit our home page at: www.pcb-solutions.com We are a supplier of Domestic and off-shore Rigid, Rigid-Flex and Flex Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), Domestic Military PCBs, Domestic Tier I PCBA, Domestic Sheet Metal, Domestic Injection Molding and other Custom Fabricated Services.

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/pcb.html

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/flex.html

U.S. Tech Market Shows Signs of Life
A Refresh Cycle At Last

April 10, 2010
By Larry Barrett

Thanks to a boost from a substantial corporate upgrade cycle and the improved demand for strategic software investments in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and service-oriented architecture (SOA) projects, the U.S. technology market is poised for robust rebound in 2010, according to Forrester Research’s latest report.

After years of delaying or truncating investment in new equipment and software, enterprise customers are finally opening up their wallets for IT purchases that improve overall organizational efficiency and help companies differentiate themselves from their competitors, researchers said.

“The tech downturn of 2008 to 2009 is unofficially over,” Andrew Bartels, a Forrester vice president and principal analyst, said in the report. “With growing evidence that an economic recovery started in the US and other countries in Q3 2009, the pieces are in place for a 2010 tech spending rebound.”

In 2010, Forrester is predicting the total U.S. IT market will grow 8.4 percent, up from the 8.1 percent improvement it previously forecast. It now expects global IT spending will improve about 7.7 percent this year, a little slower than it previously forecast mainly due to international currency fluctuations.

Computer equipment, particularly the replacement of older PCs, servers and storage equipment, is now expected to surge 11.1 percent from 2009 while software sales will improve 10.5 percent.

“For software, growth will result from a mixture of the revival of deferred licensed software purchases following the 2009 capital freeze, ongoing growth in SaaS software, and continued strong growth in smart computing platform technologies like service-oriented architecture (SOA) infrastructure, virtualization software, and analytics,” the report said.

Computer equipment sales are now projected to rise to around $83 billion with PCs accounting for roughly $39 billion of that. Communications equipment will top out at $108 billion, while telecom services and IT services and outsourcing spending will check in at $191 billion and $165 billion, respectively.

Total U.S. business and government IT spending will total more than $741 billion this year, of which about $194 billion will be spent on software — the single largest category. New applications will represent $88 billion in investment, followed by custom applications at $43 billion and middleware and operating systems software coming it at $52 billion and $11 billion apiece.

Forrester’s findings dovetail with early projections from major manufacturers, software developers and independent research firms.

Gartner earlier this year predicted total PC unit shipments would improve more than 20 percent this year to a total of more than 366 million units shipped, up from 305.8 million units in 2009.

By industry, Forrester expects U.S. financial services and insurance companies to increase their total IT spend by 11.4 percent this year while manufacturers and telecom companies will ramp up their IT spending by 9.8 percent and 9 percent, respectively.

Larry Barrett is a senior editor at InternetNews.com, the news service of Internet.com, the network for technology professionals.

Please see us at: www.pcb-solutions.com is a supplier of Domestic and Asian Rigid, Flex and Rigid-Flex Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), Domestic Tier I PCBA, Domestic Sheet Metal, Domestic Injection Molding and other Custom Fabricated Services

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/pcb.html
http://www.pcb-solutions.com/flex.html

James Brown
V.P. Sales & Marketing
PCB Solutions, LLC
jamesb@pcb-solutions.com

PCB Industry Growth Rates and Book-to-Bill Ratios Announced
Rigid PCB shipments are down 2.0 percent while bookings increased 19.8 percent in January 2010 from January 2009. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in January 2010 remained strong at 1.06.

View all the charts in PDF

Flexible circuit shipments in January 2010 were down 4.1 percent but bookings were up 59.3 percent compared to January 2009. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio climbed above parity to 1.03.

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For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in January 2010 decreased 2.1 percent from January 2009, as orders booked increased 22.2 percent from January 2009. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in January 2010 held steady at 1.05.

“The best news from our January PCB surveys is the huge growth in orders compared to January of last year,” said IPC President Denny McGuirk. “Sales are still down slightly from last year but are increasing steadily,” he added. “The book-to-bill ratio for all PCBs has stayed above 1.0 for nine months now, indicating continued sales growth in 2010,” McGuirk concluded.

View all the charts in PDF

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.

View all the charts in PDF

Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 90 percent of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC’s World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report.

Every January, IPC opens its monthly statistical programs to new participants, resulting in a slight change in the survey sample. Therefore, January’s month-to-month growth rates are not available. Reporting of month-to-month and year-to-date growth rates will resume next month.

The Role of Domestic Production
IPC’s monthly survey of the North American PCB industry tracks bookings and shipments from U.S. and Canadian facilities, which provide indicators of regional demand. These numbers do not measure U.S. and Canadian PCB production. To track regional production trends, however, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the USA or Canada). In January 2010, 82 percent of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 82 percent of rigid PCB and 72 percent of flexible circuit shipments in January by IPC’s survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which changed slightly in January but will remain constant through the remainder of the year.

Bare Circuits Versus Assembly
Flexible circuit sales typically include value-added services such as assembly, in addition to the bare flex circuits. In January, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC’s survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 56 percent of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers’ businesses. This figure is also sensitive to changes in the survey sample, which may occur at the beginning of each calendar year.

Interpreting the Data
Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they may reflect cyclical effects. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month may not be significant unless a trend of three consecutive months or more is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

The information in IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics is based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid and flexible PCB manufacturers in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio and the PCB Statistical Program Report each month. Statistics for the previous month are not available until the last week of the following month.

Feb 04, 2010

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

PCB Industry Growth Rates and Book-to-Bill Ratios Announced
Rigid PCB shipments declined 3.4 percent, but bookings were up 27.3 percent in December 2009 from December 2008. Year to date, rigid PCB shipments were down 23.2 percent and bookings fell by 18.1 percent. Compared to the previous month, rigid PCB shipments increased 13.2 percent and rigid bookings increased 23.3 percent. The book-to-bill ratio for the North American rigid PCB industry in December 2009 registered 1.05.

Flexible circuit shipments in December 2009 went down 0.4 percent and bookings decreased 27.4 percent compared to December 2008. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments were down 1.1 percent and bookings were down 4.9 percent. Compared to the previous month, flexible circuit shipments went up 4.9 percent and flex bookings fell by 2.9 percent. The North American flexible circuit book-to-bill ratio in December 2009 slipped back to 0.95.

For rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined, industry shipments in December 2009 decreased 3.2 percent from December 2008, and orders booked increased 22.1 percent from December 2008. Year to date, combined industry shipments were down 21.7 percent and bookings were down 17.2 percent. Compared to the previous month, combined industry shipments for December 2009 increased 12.6 percent and bookings went up 21.5 percent. The combined (rigid and flex) industry book-to-bill ratio in December 2009 dipped but remained positive at 1.04.

“Growth rates in both sales and orders continued to improve in the rigid PCB sector in December,” said IPC President Denny McGuirk. “Orders continued to outpace sales, which is keeping the rigid PCB book-to-bill ratio positive. Although the flexible circuit business was lackluster in December, both sectors of the PCB industry in North America showed typical seasonal patterns. The recovery is continuing, but the road back up is proving to be a long one.”

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to six months.

Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 91 percent of the current PCB industry in North America, according to IPC’s World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report.

The Role of Domestic Production
IPC’s monthly survey of the North American PCB industry tracks bookings and shipments from U.S. and Canadian facilities, which provide indicators of regional demand. These numbers do not measure U.S. and Canadian PCB production. To track regional production trends, however, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the USA or Canada). In December 2009, 86 percent of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 86 percent of rigid PCB and 84 percent of flexible circuit shipments in December by IPC survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPC’s survey sample, which may change slightly in January, but are kept constant through the calendar year.

Bare Circuits Versus Assembly
Flexible circuit sales typically include value-added services such as assembly, in addition to the bare flex circuits. In December, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPC’s survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for approximately 74 percent of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers’ businesses. This figure is also sensitive to changes in the survey sample, which may occur at the beginning of each calendar year.

Interpreting the Data
Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they may reflect cyclical effects. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month may not be significant unless a trend of three consecutive months or more is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

The information in IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics is based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid and flexible PCB manufacturers in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio and the PCB Statistical Program Report each month. Statistics for the previous month are not available until the last week of the following month.

www.IPC.org

Please visit our home page at: www.pcb-solutions.com We are a supplier of Domestic and off-shore Rigid, Rigid-Flex and Flex Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), Domestic Military PCBs, Domestic Tier I PCBA, Domestic Sheet Metal, Domestic Injection Molding and other Custom Fabricated Services.

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/pcb.html

http://www.pcb-solutions.com/flex.html

Tough Q1 & Q2 of 09

The month of April was an especially tough month for the PCB industry. Many firms had not seen bookings as low as April’s in 10 years. For many companies, April was a month that came along with hard decisions about cut backs and the financial future of their business. We had heard all along about the horror stories of PCB Shops in America closing their doors and it seemed like we had heard about at least 1 per month. In April, the latest announcement came from Universal Manufacturing in Seattle, WA. While we all desire to pick up new business, it is never wanted at the expense of another company’s livelihood.

‘And it came to pass’ as the Bible say sand so April passed, then May, then June, July and we are now starting into August; each month providing slightly better results than the previous. We too had to make tough decisions in May; new strategies were implemented and new marketing plans were created; costs were dramatically lowered and we have emerged out of the gloomy months leaner, more focused and poised for strong future profitability.

Rebounding Q3 & Q4?

On a national level the economy has been taking a slight turn in the positive direction. Good news for everyone as we stabilize and drift slowly towards an economy that will support growth again for the Printed Circuit Board industry.

For Industry news, these articles provide very positive news:

Key word: PCB PCB Makers Profit Growth (Dated July 22^nd 2009)

Market watchers have estimated PCB makers HannStar Board and Advence Printed Circuit Board (APCB) enjoyed significant profit growth in the second quarter, whereas Unimicron Technology managed to return to profitability.

HannStar Board shipped 15.9 million notebook PCBs in the second quarter, up 32.5% from the first. Orders for PCBs used in Xbox 360 games consoles also increased, said the company.

Fellow companies Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board (NPC), Tripod Technology, Yu Fo Electronic and Dynamic Electronics are also expected to have seen profit growth in the second quarter, the sources added.

Key word: PCB     8-10%growth (Dated July 20^th 2009)

Advence Printed Circuit Board (APCB) expects revenues from its plants in Taiwan and China to both grow 8-10% in third-quarter 2009 mainly due to increasing demand for PCBs used in notebook cameras.

APCB reported net profits of NT$178 million (US$5.42 million) for second-quarter 2009, more than four times the amount recorded in the first, which has helped the company to turn profitable. Profits contributed from China in the second quarter increased NT$58 million to NT$105 million.

APCB has received orders worth a total of NT$200 billion for July, and expects to see its monthly consolidated revenues grow 8% to NT$430 million.

In addition to notebook webcam products, CMOS PCBs will also be APCB’s key growth driver in the future. LED packaging and LED light bar PCBs are also expected to boost APCB’s growth, said the company.

Targeting the Future

PCB Solutions continues to dedicate itself to doing what it does best…delivering high-quality PCBs at a low cost and better lead times than larger firms. We service the small to medium sized companies that don’t have the resources to run off-shore and being to have the experience of dealing with the Chinese and their style of business.

We want to be the best in the world at delivering PCBs in this manner. As we have gone through the challenging 1^st half of 09 and changed so many aspects of the business, we feel a strong sense of confidence as we push to grow our business with a new marketing plan focused on Flex and Rigid Flex PCBs along with improving pricing and lead times of Rigid Printed Circuit Boards.

Flex and Rigid Flex Printed Circuit Boards

Our strategic move to add a 4^th Chinese supplier in 08 has proved to be a wise one. While qualifying a quality Flex and Rigid-Flex PCB shop is what we were hoping for, getting a U.S. based sales consultant that is hands down the best we have worked was simply a double win for the company.

Our new sales engineer has added an unprecedented level of knowledge and insight to designing and producing Flex and Rigid Flex Printed Circuit Boards. We now have the ability to help customers with their Flex needs AND also help them design their Flex and Rigid Flex PCBs. With a few of our clients, already this situation has proved to be a substantial help to lowering the price and increasing the customer service level when dealing with an off-shore vendor. You are now dealing with the factory when you are dealing with PCB Solutions.

Improvements to our website www.pcb-solutions.com continue on a weekly basis and our Flex and Rigid Flex pages will be filled with details on how to design and manufacture and Flex or Rigid Flex Printed Circuit Board. http://pcb-solutions.com/flex.htm

Summary

PCB Solutions moves forward in a very positive direction in the 2^nd half of 09. We have positioned ourselves to provide better quality products, services and lead times in the upcoming months and years ahead. We are excited about the future of PCB Solutions!

James Brown

V.P. Sales & Marketing

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