Mar 12, 2013 The North American PCB Market Report, published this week by IPC – Association Connecting Electronics Industries®, predicts a modest return to growth in the North American PCB market in 2013. It also contains market data and a 2013 monthly sales forecast for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits.
This first report in a monthly subscription series includes current market data from IPC’s statistical programs that has never before been published. While sales and orders are down slightly for rigid PCBs and positive for flexible circuits, the book-to-bill ratios for both segments are strengthening. Growth in sales and orders is shown by product type and company size tiers, as well as sales to military and medical end-markets.
Order backlogs, a leading indicator for sales, are at lower-than-average levels, but finished goods inventories are normal. Analysis of the data on these and other leading indicators is found in the report, along with data on domestic production as a percent of sales each month.
The industry’s confidence indexes for the next quarter and the next year show that flexible circuit manufacturers are more optimistic that they will ultimately see growth in 2013.
The report’s appendix includes the tables of index numbers that IPC uses to track rigid PCB and flexible circuit sales trends over the years and an update on U.S. PCB imports and exports.
A one-year subscription to the monthly report is available for $1,200 per year, with a discounted annual price of $600 for IPC members. All subscriptions offer a money-back guarantee in the first month. Subscriptions may be purchased at www.ipc.org/subscription-order. Information about all of IPC’s market research subscription services can be found at www.ipc.org/market-research-subscriptions. The monthly PCB book-to-bill release and other macro industry data is available at www.ipc.org/marketresearch.
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,300 member companies 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 $2.17 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.
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