North American EMS Industry Shipments Down 1.4% in August

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The Global Electronics Association announced the August 2025 findings from its North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.26.

Total North American EMS shipments in August 2025 were down 1.4% compared to the same month last year, yet compared to the preceding month, August shipments were up 3.6%. August’s year-to-date (YTD) shipments decreased by 0.7% year-over-year (YOY).

EMS bookings in August decreased 4.3% year-over-year and increased 5.6% from the previous month. August’s YTD bookings increased by 1.2% compared to the same period last year.

“The EMS sector is seeing solid momentum as both supply and customer inventories continue to normalize,” said Dr. Shawn DuBravac, chief economist, Global Electronics Association. “This shift puts the industry on steadier ground and positions it well for the next phase of growth.”

EMS bookings point to a strong demand environment. The latest month shows an even tighter market, with bookings outpacing shipments, suggesting accelerating momentum and high near-term capacity utilization. Shipment volumes are trending higher on a rolling basis, reflecting gradual supply-side normalization as manufacturers convert backlog into delivered product. Orders softened on a three-month view, likely a timing effect after earlier strength, and the elevated one-month book-to-bill indicates this pullback is transitory rather than structural. Output remains slightly below last year’s pace, so the recovery is not yet complete, but as supply chains stabilize and labor availability improves, shipments should continue to converge with demand. Year to date, orders are modestly ahead of last year, signaling resilient end-market demand, and positive YTD bookings alongside sub-par shipments imply backlog support for production in the coming quarters.

Detailed Data Available

Companies that participate in the Global Electronics Association’s North American EMS Statistical Program have access to detailed findings on EMS sales growth by type of production and company size tier, order growth and backlogs by company size tier, vertical market growth, the EMS book-to-bill ratio, 3-month and 12-month sales outlooks, 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 the Global Electronics Association’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.

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.

The Global Electronics Association’s monthly EMS industry statistics are based on data provided by a representative sample of assembly equipment manufacturers selling in the USA and Canada.