Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘The Next RenAIssance: AI and the Expansion of Human Potential’
The Chemical Connection: When the Industry Moves Faster Than the Standards
Driving Innovation: Selecting the Right Laser Source
N.A. PCB Sales and Orders Grow, but B2B Ratio Falls
June 27, 2019 | IPCEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries announced today the May 2019 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales and order growth in May remained positive, but the book-to-bill ratio dipped below parity to 0.99.
Total North American PCB shipments in May 2019 were up 5.6% compared to the same month last year. Year-to-date sales growth as of May was 12.3%. Compared to the preceding month, May shipments increased 2.5%.
PCB bookings in May increased 5.6% year-over-year, bringing year-to-date order growth to 4.3%. Bookings in May were up 0.5% from the previous month.
“Although sales and order growth continued in May for the North American PCB industry, slowing order growth rates pushed the book-to-bill ratio below parity,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research.” This was the first time since January 2017 that the industry registered a book-to-bill ratio below parity (1.00). “Recent ratios hovering around parity indicate continued but slower growth in the coming months.” she added.
Detailed Data Available
The second-quarter 2019 edition of IPC’s North American PCB Market Report, containing detailed data from IPC’s PCB Statistical Program, will be published by mid-August. The quarterly report presents 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. This report is available free to current participants in IPC’s PCB Statistical Program and by subscription to others. PCB companies that are IPC members doing business in North America are invited to contact marketresearch@ipc.org for information about participating.
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 USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB book-to-bill ratio at the end of each month. Statistics for the current month are normally available in the last week of the following month.
About IPC
IPC is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 5,400-member company sites which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Stockholm, Sweden; Brussels, Belgium; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.
Share on:
Testimonial
"We’re proud to call I-Connect007 a trusted partner. Their innovative approach and industry insight made our podcast collaboration a success by connecting us with the right audience and delivering real results."
Julia McCaffrey - NCAB GroupSuggested Items
From Backbone to Breakthroughs: I-Connect007 Wraps PCB Materials Series with Focus on Innovation
04/30/2026 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 wraps up its six-part podcast series, PCB Materials: The Backbone and Future of Electronics, with Episode 6 and a discussion focusing on innovation. In Episode 6, Marcy LaRont speaks with Isola CTO Kirk Thompson about a critical turning point for the PCB industry as innovation accelerates. As data rates climb and demands from AI infrastructure, power density, flexible electronics, photonics, and chiplet integration intensify, traditional material assumptions are no longer sufficient.
Global Electronics Association and CalcuQuote, an Elisa Industriq Business, Launch Joint Supply Chain Intelligence Initiative
04/29/2026 | Global Electronics AssociationThe Global Electronics Association and CalcuQuote, Elisa Industriq today announced a partnership to deliver timely, actionable supply chain intelligence for the electronics industry.
Is China Plus One Still Happening in the PCB Industry?
04/28/2026 | Manfred Huschka, Manfred Huschka Management Consulting (Shenzhen) Ltd.For much of the past five years, China Plus One has been shorthand for supply-chain diversification: reducing dependency on mainland China by adding manufacturing capacity elsewhere in Asia. In the PCB industry, however, in early 2026, it is more nuanced. It looks less like a clean geographic shift and more like a layered, capital-intensive rebalancing of global capacity, one that still leaves China deeply embedded at the center.
EDADOC: Building the ‘Neural Hub’ for High-Compute Chips Within a Compact Space
04/28/2026 | ECIOEvery chip to the market must pass a stringent checkpoint before shipment known as ATE testing. Serving as the physical “neural hub” that connects test equipment worth millions of dollars with the device under test, the performance of the ATE test board directly determines the accuracy, efficiency, and final yield of chip testing. Amid the rapid rise of high-compute chips, what extreme challenges is this seemingly small circuit board facing? How is EDADOC addressing industry pain points through its one-stop “design + manufacturing” model?
Meet Emerging Engineer Dennis Donovan, Kratos Space Commercial
04/29/2026 | Michelle Te, I-Connect007Like many of today’s engineers, Dennis Donovan grew up interested in how things worked. He wanted to see what was inside and how to make it better. Now, he has three bachelor’s degrees, is earning his master’s, and works as an electrical engineering technologist. He aspires to work in PCB assembly with a particular focus on aerospace electronics. He’s a sharp, well-spoken young man with an eye on his future.