North American PCB industry sales up 2.1% in April

Total North American PCB shipments in April 2022 were up 2.1% compared to the same month last year. However, compared to the preceding month, April shipments fell 20.4%.

PCB year-to-date bookings in April were down 14.3% compared to last year. Bookings in April fell 5.4% from the previous month.

“PCB shipments have been marginally stronger than bookings through the first four months of the year. Shipments are up 6.7% compared to a decline in bookings of 2.6%,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist. “The disconnect between shipments and orders is likely driven by backlogs for other components. Companies are disinclined to place PCB orders if they are waiting on other components. Despite strong shipments, the book-to-bill remains above one.”

Detailed data available

Companies that participate in IPC’s North American PCB Statistical Program have access to detailed findings on rigid PCB and flexible circuit sales and orders, including separate rigid and flex book-to-bill ratios, growth trends by product types and company size tiers, demand for prototypes, sales growth to military and medical markets, and other timely data.

Interpreting the data

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.

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 reflect seasonal effects and short-term volatility. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month might not be significant unless a trend of more than three consecutive months is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in both bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics are based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid PCB and flexible circuit manufacturers selling in the US and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB book-to-bill ratio by the end of each month.