Signs of Full Recovery Shown in IPC's Electronics Industries Market Data Update

Economically, 2010 was a better year than expected in most parts of the world. Although Japan experienced exceptionally high growth in 2010, this was the year that China overtook Japan to become the second-largest world economy after the USA.

Leading Indicators Suggest Stable Growth for 2011

There are now strong indications that most economies around the world have fully recovered from the 2008–2009 recession. Most electronics industry segments are still experiencing strong but slowing growth. Markets are returning to normal. Data on these trends in specific industry segments and regions is covered in the recently released winter 2011 edition of IPC's quarterly business report, Electronics Industries Market Data Update.

Most segments of the electronic interconnect supply chain worldwide posted double-digit year-on-year growth in the fourth quarter of 2010. PCB assembly equipment, laminate, electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and process consumables led the pack. Sales in most industry segments have returned to pre-recession levels.

In North America, the top performers in year-on-year growth for fourth quarter 2010 were PCB assembly equipment, flexible circuits and the EMS industry. The IPC Index of North American Electronics Industry Performance©, a composite of sales growth for major industry segments and leading economic indicators, shows the recovery cycle ending and a return to normal growth. The index for the fourth quarter of 2010 stood at 16.5, down from 31.0 in the third quarter, but still solidly positive.

Subscribers to the Electronics Industries Market Data Update also have access to an interactive graph built upon the index data and showing growth trends back to 2007. Users can add their own companies’ quarterly year-on-year growth rates to the data table and see a line graph showing how their company has been performing in comparison to their industry segment as well as customer and supplier industries.

The Electronics Industries Market Data Update is free to all IPC members and can be accessed online, via a log-in page, at http://www.ipc.org/Update. Nonmembers can subscribe on a yearly basis. Subscription information is available at http://www.ipc.org/MDU-subscription. For more information on this report or on IPC’s market research services, contact Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research, at +1 847-597-2817 or SharonStarr@ipc.org.

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IPC (http://www.IPC.org) is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 2,700 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 $1.5 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Garden Grove, Calif.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore, India; Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, China.