SEMI: May book-to-bill hits parity

By Colleen Taylor, Contributing Editor -- Electronic News, 6/20/2007

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment inched up to parity in May, posting a book-to-bill ratio of 1.00, according to the latest report published Tuesday by SEMI.

A book-to-bill of 1.00 means that $100 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

April's book-to-bill was first reported at 1.00, however, SEMI reported this week that the final ratio for April ended up at 0.98.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in May was $1.67 billion, about 6 percent greater than the final April level of $1.57 billion and about 3 percent greater than the $1.62 billion in orders posted in May 2006.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in May was $1.67 billion. The billings figure is about 5 percent greater than the final April level of $1.59 billion and 15 percent greater than the May 2006 billings level of $1.45 billion.

"Bookings and billings remain at levels above a year ago, and there is relative equilibrium in the book-to-bill ratio, which has remained very near parity for half of a year," Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, said in a statement.  Myers added that the industry group is surveying member companies and will issue a new consensus forecast outlook for capital equipment next month during the Semicon West convention.