IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries® recently announced the March 2020 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.15. Total North American PCB shipments in March 2020 were up 3.7% compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, March shipments rose 31.6%.

PCB bookings in March increased 10.1% year-over-year. Bookings in March increased 8.7% from the previous month.

“COVID-19 related disallocations in the global supply chain continue to drive North American PCB orders and shipments,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist. “March 2020 saw a near historic month-over-month rise in shipments as North American PCB manufacturers worked to deliver crucial components for equipment like ventilators into the medical supply chain. March sales and orders are the highest the industry has seen since April 2017 and April 2020 shipments are poised to reach levels not seen since 2006.”

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.