日前，IPC電子工業連接委員會月PCB統計項目組發布4月份的PCB統計數據。 PCB工業訂單交貨比 與2006年4月份相比較，2007年4月剛性PCB出貨量降低了12.8%，訂單量下降了11.8%。同上個月相比較，剛性PCB出貨量下降了15.5%,訂單量下降了12.6%。但是整體來看，北美剛性PCB工業訂單出貨比仍然為1.0，這表明現階段的這一數據的穩定性。 同2006年4月比較，2007年4月份，柔性PCB出貨量上升了3％，訂單量上升了68.9%。從年度數據看，柔性PCB出貨量上升了3.0%,訂單量上升了30.1%。然而同上個月相比較，柔性PCB出貨量降低了25.1%，訂單量則降低了39.2％。3月份，北美柔性PCB訂單出貨比達到1.28,這表明在未來一段時間內銷售有上升趨勢。 綜合考慮剛性和柔性PCB，2007年4月比2006年4月出貨量下降了12.0%,訂單則下降了8.5%。年度統計數據，整個PCB工業的出貨量下降了9.1%,訂單量則下降了16.5%。同上個月相比較，整個PCB工業的出貨量下降了16.3%,訂單量則降低了15.3%。整個PCB行業的訂單出貨比則為1.01. The April slowdown is a seasonal pattern we see just about every year, said IPC President Denny McGuirk. This year, however, the industry is also affected by a cooling economy. Overall PCB sales in the first four months of 2007 are running about nine percent below the same period in 2006, but the positive book-to-bill ratios are signs of near-term stability in the North American PCB industry. 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 the companies in IPCs 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 two to three months. Book-to-bill ratios and growth rates for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits combined are heavily affected by the rigid PCB segment. Rigid PCBs represent an estimated 85 percent of the current PCB market in North America, according to IPCs World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report for the Year 2005. The Role of Domestic Production IPCs monthly survey of the North American PCB industry tracks bookings and shipments from U.S. and Canadian facilities, which are indicators of regional demand. These numbers do not measure U.S. and Canadian PCB production. To track regional production trends, however, IPC asks survey participants for the percent of their reported shipments that were produced domestically (i.e., in the USA or Canada). In April 2007, 89 percent of total PCB shipments reported were domestically produced. Domestic production accounted for 89 percent of rigid PCB and 95 percent of flexible circuit shipments in April by IPCs survey participants. These numbers are significantly affected by the mix of companies in IPCs survey sample, which remains constant throughout each calendar year, but may change with the January survey results. Bare Circuits Versus Assembly Flexible circuit sales typically include value-added services such as assembly, in addition to the bare flex circuits. In April, the flexible circuit manufacturers in IPCs survey sample indicated that bare circuits accounted for about 80 percent of their shipment value reported for the month. Assembly and other services make up a large and growing segment of flexible circuit producers business. This figure is also sensitive to changes in the survey sample, which may occur at the beginning of each calendar year. Interpreting the Data 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 may reflect cyclical effects. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month-to-month may not be significant unless a trend of three consecutive months or more is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio. The information in IPCs monthly PCB industry statistics is based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid and flexible PCB manufacturers in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB Book-to-Bill Ratio and the Interconnect Manufacturing Services (IMS) Business Report each month. Statistics for the previous month are not available until the last week of the following month.
