BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American printed circuit board shipments in December decreased 5.1% year-over-year, and orders fell 2.8%, says IPC.

For the year, shipments were down 1.9%, and orders dropped 8.1% compared to 2010.

Versus November, board shipments increased 6.9%, while orders were up 8.7%.

The book-to-bill ratio for the month increased to 1.0. A ratio of more than 1.0 suggests current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next two to three months.        

Rigid PCB shipments were down 3.6%, and orders were up 0.1% in December compared to the same month in 2010. Year to date, rigid shipments decreased 1.9%, and orders declined 8.8%. Sequentially, shipments increased 7.2%, and orders went up 10.7%.  The book-to-bill ratio for rigid boards reached parity at 1.0.

Flex circuit shipments for the month were down 19.8%, while orders decreased 27.7% compared to December. Year to date, flex shipments fell 2.5%, and orders decreased 0.4%. Sequentially, shipments increased 2.9%, and orders were down 10.7%. The flex book-to-bill ratio grew to 1.03.         

“North American PCB sales in December increased over the prior month, and the book-to-bill ratio strengthened, reaching parity for the first time since last summer,” said Sharon Starr, IPC market research director. “North American PCB sales ended the year down 1.9% over 2010, but current indicators point to a resumption of modest growth in 2012,” she added.

Rigid boards represent an estimated 89% of the current PCB industry in North America, says IPC. In December, 81% of total shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 82% of rigid and 81% of flex circuit shipments.