-
-
News
News Highlights
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Designer of the Future
Our expert contributors peer into their crystal balls and offer their thoughts on the designers and design engineers of tomorrow, and what their jobs will look like.
Advanced Packaging and Stackup Design
This month, our expert contributors discuss the impact of advanced packaging on stackup design—from SI and DFM challenges through the variety of material tradeoffs that designers must contend with in HDI and UHDI.
Rules of Thumb
This month, we delve into rules of thumb—which ones work, which ones should be avoided. Rules of thumb are everywhere, but there may be hundreds of rules of thumb for PCB design. How do we separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak?
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
North American PCB Industry Sales up 3.7% in March
May 4, 2020 | IPCEstimated reading time: 2 minutes

IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries announced today the March 2020 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.15.
Total North American PCB shipments in March 2020 were up 3.7% compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, March shipments rose 31.6%.
PCB bookings in March increased 10.1% year-over-year. Bookings in March increased 8.7% from the previous month.
“COVID-19 related disallocations in the global supply chain continue to drive North American PCB orders and shipments. March 2020 saw a near historic month-over-month rise in shipments as North American PCB manufacturers worked to deliver crucial components for equipment like ventilators into the medical supply chain,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist. “March sales and orders are the highest the industry has seen since April 2017 and April 2020 shipments are poised to reach levels not seen since 2006.”
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 USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB book-to-bill ratio by the end of each month.
About IPC
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 5,700-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.
Suggested Items
OE-A Elects New International Board of Directors
02/07/2025 | OE-AThe members of the OE-A (Organic and Printed Electronics Association) appointed Dr. Alain Schumacher, IEE, as the new Chair of the Board of Directors at the end of January. Dr. Luke Pan, Brilliant Optoelectronic Technology is the new Vice Chair for Asia. Dr. Carsten L. Herzhoff, Lohmann, and Dr. Chloé Bois, ICI, are elected as Vice Chair Europe and North America respectively.
New IPC White Paper Focuses on Use of Artificial Intelligence in Automated Optical Inspection in Electronics Manufacturing
02/06/2025 | IPCA new white paper, “Unlocking AI for Automated Optical Inspection” released today by IPC’s Chief Technologist Council, focuses on AI’s role in AOI processes for printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs). According to data within the white paper, recent advancements in technology, particularly in Cloud AI, IoT and Smart Manufacturing, have provided opportunities to further enhance AOI performance.
First Pan-European Electronics Design Conference (PEDC) in Vienna Inspires Participants from 20 Countries
02/06/2025 | IPCThe first Pan-European Electronics Design Conference (PEDC) in Vienna was a great success The new international conference, organized by Fachverband Elektronikdesign und -fertigung e. V. (FED) and IPC, brought together experts and industry representatives from 20 countries and four continents.
Siti's Recipe for Success: Siti Wahab's Thriving EMS Business in Malaysia
02/05/2025 | Michelle Te, IPC CommunitySiti Padillah Binti Abdul Wahab has a simple recipe for success: Believe in yourself, pursue knowledge and experience, embrace challenges, and build a support network as you aim for leadership roles. As one of just a handful of women in leadership roles in the EMS industry in Malaysia, she also advocates for inclusivity and takes time to celebrate her achievements.
Koh Young Highlights Inspection Solutions at IPC APEX EXPO 2025
02/04/2025 | Koh YoungKoh Young, the industry leader in True3D measurement-based inspection solutions and the exclusive Premier Sponsor of IPC APEX EXPO 2025, invites electronics manufacturers to Booth 2130 for live demonstrations of its award-winning inspection technologies.