SEMI book-to-bill stays below 1.0

By Suzanne Deffree -- Electronic News, 12/20/2006

For the fourth consecutive month, North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted a book-to-bill ratio below 1.0, according to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

November book-to-bill results of 0.97 were near flat with October’s 0.94 book-to-bill, SEMI data showed. A book-to-bill of 0.97 means that $97 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month. SEMI’s book-to-bill has not been above 1.0 since July’s 1.06 result.

“North American semiconductor equipment bookings and billings have moderated in recent months, following a strong first half of 2006 and expected cyclic patterns,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, in a statement Tuesday. “Though having slowed recently, bookings remain at levels well above those of the last slowdown in 2005.”

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in November was $1.45 billion, 1 percent below the final October level of $1.47 billion and 33 percent above the $1.09 billion in orders posted in November 2005.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in November was $1.49 billion, about 4 percent below the final October level of $1.56 billion and almost 27 percent higher than the November 2005 billings level of $1.18 billion, SEMI reported.