IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® announced today the May 2018 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Industry shipments and orders in May grew at a strong pace. The book-to-bill ratio strengthened to 1.09.
Total North American PCB shipments in May 2018 were up 11.7% compared to the same month last year. This year to date, shipments are 10.0% above the same period last year. Compared to the preceding month, May shipments increased 1.9%.
PCB bookings in May increased 21.2% year-over-year. Year-to-date order growth was 14.4% above the same period last year. Bookings in May were up 6.3% from the previous month.
“The pace of growth increased yet again for the North American PCB industry in May,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Sales growth was positive year-over-year for the ninth consecutive month and sales grew at the fastest pace in more than seven years. Order growth has been strong for the past 12 months. The book-to-bill ratio is above parity (1.0) for the 16th consecutive month, which is a positive indicator of continued growth this year.”
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