BANNOCKBURN, Ill., 30 June 2011. Combined orders of rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits in North America dropped for the fifth consecutive month in May, compared with the same period one year ago, while combined shipments of rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits in the United States and Canada posted continued growth, albeit at a slowing pace, report market analysts at IPC - the Association Connecting Electronics Industries in Bannockburn, Ill.Combined orders of rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits in North America dropped by 12.6 percent in May, compared to orders the same month in 2010, following a 5.6 percent decrease in combined orders in April compared to the same month last year, IPC analysts report.Combined North American shipments of rigid printed circuit boards and flexible circuits increased by 1.1 percent in May over the same month last year. April combined shipments posted a year-over increase of 3 percent. IPC analysts reported their findings in the organization's monthly assessment of the electronic interconnect business.
North American shipments of rigid circuit board alone were flat in May, while orders decreased 13.4 percent from the same month last year. Year to date, rigid circuit board orders declined 9.2 percent in May, while shipments were up 4.1 percent.
North American shipments of flexible circuits alone in May 2011 were up 14 percent compared to the same month last year, while orders dropped 5.1 percent. Year to date, flexible circuit shipments increased 14.2 percent and orders increased 5.5 percent.
For more information contact the IPC online at www.ipc.org.
