IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries^® recently announced the October 2019 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales and orders in October continued to outpace last year. The book-to-bill ratio rose to 1.11.

Total North American PCB shipments in October 2019 were up 6.2% compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date sales growth as of October is 6.9% ahead of the same period last year. Compared to the preceding month, October shipments decreased 8.9%.

PCB bookings in October increased 2.2% compared to October 2018. Year-to-date order growth is up to 2.9%, while bookings in October increased 9.6% from the previous month.

“Business for the North American PCB industry continues to outpace last year’s performance,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “The spike in the book-to-bill ratio to a 19-month high reflects the last three months’ recovery in bookings. These results lay the groundwork for continued sales growth in the next two quarters.”

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 three to twelve months. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the reverse.

Additional details are available at www.ipc.org.