SEMI Book-to-Bill Inches Up

Staff Reporter -- Electronic News, 6/16/2006

Semiconductor equipment manufacturers based in North America posted $1.65 billion in orders in May and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.12, according to the May Book-to-Bill Report published this week by the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Institute (SEMI.)

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers.  A book-to-bill of 1.12 means that $112 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month. April's book-to-bill was 1.11, SEMI said. 

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in May was $1.65 billion, 3 percent higher than the final April level of $1.6 billion and more than 62 percent higher than the $1.02 billion in orders posted in May 2005.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in May was $1.48 billion, about 3 percent above the final April level of $1.44 billion and more than 22 percent above the May 2005 billings level of $1.21 billion.

"Semiconductor fabrication facilities worldwide are utilizing high levels of available manufacturing capacity and equipment bookings have been steadily increasing," Dan P. Tracy, senior director of industry research and statistics at SEMI, said in a statement. "Total bookings for North American-based equipment makers remained strong into the second quarter and are well above the same period last year."