According to the survey results of IPC North America PCB Statistics Program, the total North American PCB shipments in July decreased by 21.2% compared with the same period last year. The book-to-bill ratio was 0.99.

Shipments fell 14% in July compared to the previous month.

PCB orders in July fell 25.4% from the same period last year and fell 17.3% from the previous month.

"July 2024 was a difficult month for the PCB industry, with both shipments and orders clearly weak," said Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at IPC.

The book-to-bill ratio is calculated by dividing the value of orders over the past three months by the sales revenue of the IPC survey sample companies over the same period. A ratio greater than 1.00 indicates that current demand exceeds supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth in the next three to twelve months. A ratio less than 1.00 indicates the opposite.

01 July is worse than June

Total North American PCB shipments in June 2024 increased 1.0% compared to the same period last year. June shipments increased 9.1% compared to the previous month.

PCB orders in June decreased 2.7% compared to the same period last year. June orders increased 3.2% compared to the previous month.

"The PCB industry had strong shipments this month, with orders exceeding orders, slightly lowering the PCB book-to-bill ratio. While production remains healthy, there are potential challenges in maintaining supply and demand balance in the coming months," said Shawn DuBravac, chief economist at IPC.

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