North American PCB Industry Sales Down 11.1% in October
November 22, 2024 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
IPC announced today the October 2024 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.09.
Total North American PCB shipments in October 2024 were down 11.1 percent compared to the same month last year. Compared to the preceding month, October shipments were up 20.4 percent.
PCB bookings in October were up 3.5 percent compared to the same month last year. October bookings were down 3.7 percent compared to the preceding month.
“The October book-to-bill ratio for the North American PCB industry increased 3.1 percent compared to September, driven by strong bookings over the past three months and subdued shipments,” said Shawn DuBravac, Ph.D., IPC’s chief economist. “Year-to-date, order volume remains slightly positive, significantly outpacing the high single-digit decline in shipments.”
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.
Testimonial
"In a year when every marketing dollar mattered, I chose to keep I-Connect007 in our 2025 plan. Their commitment to high-quality, insightful content aligns with Koh Young’s values and helps readers navigate a changing industry. "
Brent Fischthal - Koh YoungSuggested Items
MKS’ Atotech to Participate in IPCA Electronics Expo 2025
08/11/2025 | AtotechMKS Inc., a global provider of enabling technologies that transform our world, announced that its strategic brands ESI® (laser systems) and Atotech® (process chemicals, equipment, software, and services) will showcase their latest range of leading manufacturing solutions for printed circuit board (PCB) and package substrate manufacturing at the upcoming 17th IPCA Show to be held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi from August 21-23, 2025.
EMC-Taiwan Announces Further Investment in North America
08/11/2025 | Elite Material Co. LtdElite Material Company (EMC)-Taiwan announced that it has made a commitment to invest $80 million dollars in the Arlon EMD factory in Rancho Cucamonga, CA it acquired at the end of 2020.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
08/08/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007If you’ve been watching the news lately, you might be tempted to opine, “What’s going on here?” In this week’s must-reads, we have a wrap-up of the latest news about U.S. tariffs with Asia, and columnist Tom Yang explains why some PCB fabrication business should remain in China. We also have a piece that examines the unprecedented growth that green manufacturing is expected to see over the next four years.
Materials and Manufacturing for the AI Era: The Next PCB Frontier
08/08/2025 | Edy Yu, Chief Editor, ECIO, and the I-Connect007 Editorial TeamAI is pushing hardware to its limits, and the bottleneck isn’t design anymore—it’s materials. Next-generation AI servers aren’t just heavier on layer counts. They demand better materials to handle the speed, heat, and signal integrity requirements of 400G, 800G, and even 1.6T Ethernet systems. Many server motherboards are already 32–36 layers. For the next wave of 1.6T-capable boards, expect 40–50 layers, which must maintain high-frequency performance without degrading signal quality.
Nvidia’s PCB Vendor Victory Giant Plans to Raise Funds in Hong Kong IPO
08/07/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamNvidia supplier Victory Giant Technology, based in Huizhou, Guangdong, China, released plans at the end of July for a Hong Kong share offering. The move came after regulators eased fundraising rules to support high-tech companies, the South China Morning Post reported.