IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries^® recently announced the November 2019 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales and orders in November were strong and continued to outpace the same month in 2018. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.08.

Total North American PCB shipments in November 2019 were up 17.2% compared to the same month in the prior year. Year-to-date sales growth as of November is 7.7% ahead of the same period in 2018. Compared to the preceding month, November shipments increased 0.7%.

PCB bookings in November increased 11.1% year-over-year. Year-to-date order growth is up to 4.4%, though bookings in November fell 18.6% from the previous month.

“Business is booming for the North American PCB industry as sales and orders outpace last year’s performance by a substantial margin,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “A strong book-to-bill ratio following three months of positive ratios indicates the likelihood for continued sales growth through the first quarter of 2020.”

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 12 months. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the reverse.

Additional details are available at www.ipc.org.