The IPC in North America, PCB industry research report the leading index of north American manufacturing industry began a slow recovery, in the next few months will remain moderate growth, but the signal is not obvious reaction PCB industry. The report also shows that in February PCB sales is not very ideal, compared with the same period last year, some areas of data contracted 10%.
Different from the strong growth in January this year, flexible circuit board market in February. SharonStarr IPC market research director said: "the monthly data volatile belongs to the normal phenomenon, especially the flexible circuit board market, the real trend according to several months of data to show it." Sales in North America, flexible circuit boards in the second half of 2012 increased, while the flexible circuit board book-to-bill ratio in the negative range, but has been steadily increase since October 2012.
Rigid PCB orders, a slight increase in February of this year, the PCB book-to-bill ratio up to 1.06. In 2012, after a long decline since January 2013, PCB book-to-bill ratio presented a positive trend. Book-to-bill ratio, is to use three months of sales, in addition to the orders of the rolling average is to predict the future three to six months leading indicators of sales growth.
Starr also said: "from the seasonal trend, it seems, in January to February PCB sales drop, indeed in unexpected, but it is also in the fourth quarter of 2012 the ill effects of poor book-to-bill ratio. Book-to-bill ratio in the past three months has been rise, is now in the positive area. It also shows that the PCB industry recovery is lagging, in the next few months, we hope we will improve."
