Electronics supply chain sales still waiting for an upturn, IPC reports
US new orders for computer and electronic products were slightly down in April after an upturn in March, according to the IPC.
Staff -- EDN, June 23, 2009
Retail sales in the United States dropped unexpectedly in April, possibly a reflection that rising unemployment is a growing concern for consumers. US new orders for computer and electronic products were slightly down in April after an upturn in March.
PCB (printed circuit board) and EMS (electronic manufacturing services) shipments also continued to decline.
Seasonal effects have some role in this decline, however, as sales in these industries typically rise at quarter’s end and contract at the beginning of the next quarter. The semiconductor shipment index remained flat in April.
Trends in US computer and electronic products new orders vs North American sales indices of selected supplier industries, May 2008 to April 2009
Note on the graph: All indices are based on the same baseline of the average month in 2000=100, and reflect a 3-month rolling average.
Sources: IPC statistical programs for the EMS and PCB industries; SIA for semiconductor data; U.S. Census Bureau for U.S. new orders for computer and electronic products.
IPC's March report can be found here .
