IPC APEX EXPO 2019 – Where Technology’s Future Came Together

From revolutionary advancements to expert insights, IPC APEX EXPO 2019 provided education, Buzz sessions, professional development courses and connections fostered in the technical conference, enabling 5,292 attendees from 56 countries prepare for the future. The 440 exhibitors welcomed a busy three days of business development and qualified sales leads on 150,400 net square feet of show floor space. IPC APEX EXPO attracted 9,796 total visitors including attendees and exhibitor personnel.

In keeping with the event’s theme, “Technology’s Future Comes Together,” IPC APEX EXPO 2019 featured nearly 75 technical papers detailing original research and innovations from industry experts around the world. With programs grounded in and driven by real-world application, attendees had access to new research on materials and processes, opportunities to learn more about trending materials, applications and processes such as printed electronics, Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, product miniaturization and e-textiles.

IPC APEX EXPO’s full- and half-day professional development courses blended traditional electronics industry topics with hot-new developments, delivered by corporate technologists, consultants, training center staff and university faculty.Attendees chosefrom an array of leading topics such as: PCB fabrication, SMT and through hole defect analysis, electronics reliability, design for manufacturing best practices, soldering challenges, and more.

With a focus on developing important standards, IPC committee members joined to discuss, revise, and improve documents that will be used to create quality products. “I recently took on a role as my company's IPC/ESD champion, so attending the committee meetings were a great place to network with industry experts. I was also able to gain more in-depth knowledge on IPC standards and standards development processes, such as what direction technology and standards are heading,” said Rodney Doss, global IPC/ESD coordinator, Samtec, Inc.

Many attendees indicate that IPC APEX EXPO influences their buying decisions throughout the year which is an important factor for the show exhibitors. “IPC APEX EXPO is an anchor show that brings the entire electronics industry supply chain together. Networking on the show floor allows you to maintain and strengthen old relationships and to prepare for the innovations of the future,” said Simon Fried, president, Nano Dimension USA.

Gregg Elliott, president and CEO of Seacole agrees, “IPC APEX EXPO is the premier networking event for the printed electronics industry. Whether you come to buy, learn or connect this is the place to be.”

In 2020, IPC APEX EXPO will return to the San Diego Convention Center, February 1–6. Industry researchers, engineers and academics are invited to submit an abstract for consideration in next year’s technical conference or professional development courses in the online Call for Participation at www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org/cfp.

Volunteers Honored for Contributions to IPC and the Electronics Industry

IPC presented Committee Leadership, Special Recognition and Distinguished Committee Service Awards on January 28 and January 30 at IPC APEX EXPO 2019 at the San Diego Convention Center. The awards were presented to individuals who made significant contributions to IPC and the industry by lending their time and expertise through IPC committee service.

Receiving Special Recognition Awards for their contributions to the 2018-2019 Technical Program Committee were Steve Butkovich, Test Innovation, LLC; Weifeng Liu, Flex; Russ Nowland, Nokia; Julie Silk, Keysight Technologies; and Bhanu Sood, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

For his leadership of the 8-81 PERM Self-Mitigation of Tin by SMT Task Group that developed IPC/PERM-WP-022, Mitigation of Pure Tin Risk by Tin-Lead SMT Reflow, David Pinsky, Raytheon Company, received a Committee Leadership Award. Ben Gumpert, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control; Thomas Hester, Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems; David Hillman, Collins Aerospace; Anduin Touw, The Boeing Company; Ross Wilcoxon, Collins Aerospace; and Paul Zutter, U.S. Army AMRDEC, received a Distinguished Committee Service Award.

For their leadership of the 7-31FT IPC/WHMA-A-620 Technical Training Task Group that developed IPC/WHMA-A-620C, Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies, Catherine Hanlin, Prevision Manufacturing Company, Inc; Shelley Holt, L3 Communications; and Debbie Wade, Advanced Rework Technology-A.R.T, earned a Committee Leadership Award. For their extraordinary contributions to IPC/WHMA-A-620C, Garry Maguire, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center; Michelle Morring, STI Electronics Inc; and Pat Scott, STI Electronics Inc, received a Special Recognition Award.

Symon Franklin, Custom Interconnect Ltd. And Debbie Wade, Advanced Rework Technology-A.R.T, were honored with Committee Leadership Awards for their leadership of the 5-22BTEU European Technical Training Task Group that developed IPC/WHMA-A-620C, Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies.

For his leadership of the D-33AA IPC-6012 Automotive Addendum Task Group that developed IPC-6012DA, Automotive Applications Addendum to IPC-6012D, with Amendment 1, Qualification and Performance Specification for Rigid Printed Boards, Jan Pederson, Elmatica, earned a Committee Leadership Award. For their extraordinary contributions, Kelvin Chang, Veoneer Canada Inc.; Nancy Deng, Ford Motor Research & Engineering; Emma Hudson, Gen3 Systems Limited; Andrew Goddard, ZF TRW Automotive; Todd MacFadden; Bose Corporation; Laurent Nardo, Continental Automotive France SAS; Michael Schoening, Q-Products Enterprise Limited; and Udo Welzel, Robert Bosch Co. Ltd., received a Special Recognition Award.

For their leadership of the 5-22a J-STD-001 Task Group that developed J-STD-001G, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies with Amendment 1, Dan Foster, Missile Defense Agency, and Kathy Johnston, Raytheon Missile Systems, earned a Committee Leadership award. Doug Pauls, Collins Aerospace, and Udo Welzel, Robert Bosch GmBH, received a Committee Leadership Award for their leadership of the Rhino Team that developed IPC-WP-019A, An Overview on the Global Change in Ionic Cleanliness Requirements/ J-STD-001G, Requirements for Soldered Electrical and Electronic Assemblies with Amendment 1.

Dock Brown, DfR Solutions; Karen McConnell, Northrop Grumman Corporation; and Steve Golemme, Google Inc., were honored with a Committee Leadership Award for leading the 1-14 DFX Standards Subcommittee that developed IPC-2231, Design for Excellence Guideline during the Product Lifecycle. Don Dupriest, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control, received a Special Recognition Award. Jimmy Baccam, Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control; Benny Barbero, Allied Telesis Inc; Scott Bowles, L3 Fuzing and Ordnance Systems, Cincinnati; Peter Fernandez, Lab 126; Michelle Gleason, Plexus Corp.- Neenah Operations; Kayleen Helms, Intel Corporation; Eddie Hofer, Rockwell Collins; Waleid Jabai, Zentech Manufacturing; Kevin Kusiak, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company; Dale Lee, Plexus Corp.- Neenah Operations; Kristopher Moyer, CSUS; James Pierce, Axiom Electronics, LLC; Robert Rowland, Axiom Electronics, LLC; Steven Roy, Hamilton Company; Rainer Taube, Taube Electronic GmbH; Theodore John Tontis, Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley; Cheryl Tulkoff, DfR Solutions; Louis Ungar, Advanced Test Engineering Solutions, Inc.; Pietro Vergine, Leading Edge; and Linda Woody, LWC Consulting, received a Distinguished Committee Service Award for their contributions to IPC-2231, Design for Excellence Guideline during the Product Lifecycle.

For more information on these awards or the award recipients, contact Sandy Gentry, IPC communications director, at +1 847-597-2871.

Three Long-Time IPC Volunteers Receive IPC President’s Award

Bhawnesh Mathur, Udo Welzel and Mark Wolfe honored for their on-going leadership in IPC and electronics industry

In recognition of their significant contributions of time, talent and ongoing leadership in IPC and the electronics industry, long-time IPC volunteers, Bhawnesh Mathur; Mark Wolfe, John Deere Electronic Solutions; and Udo Welzel, Robert Bosch GmbH, were presented with an IPC President’s Award at IPC APEX EXPO 2019.

Bhawnesh Mathur is an experienced executive with OEM, distribution and EMS experience. He has been head of supply chain at IBM’s Server Group, Arrow Electronics and Sanmina. He currently consults with an EMS company and is an advisor/investor to several start-ups. He works with the UCSD Rady School of Business in industry outreach and building a supply chain curriculum, and also serves as the Chair of Colorado’s largest non-profit helping local entrepreneurs.

Mathur has been one of IPC’s strongest supporters for more than a decade. He and his companies have supported standards development, IPC APEX EXPO and IPC IMPACT Washington, D.C. and have hosted more than a dozen members of Congress at their facilities.

Mathur has been an active and contributing IPC Board Member, chair of the Government Relations Committee, and a member of the EMS Committee. He has provided leadership from the Board-level to individual IPC members who have expressed interest in learning more about IPC.

A recipient of the IPC Rising Star Award in 2017, Udo Welzel, Ph.D., leads a team in the department of engineering assembly and interconnect technology at Robert Bosch, and is responsible for assembly and interconnect technology integration for high-performance logic automotive electronic control units.

Welzel is deeply involved in standardization activities for IPC and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For IPC, he serves as co-chair of the 5-21M Cold Joining Press Fit Task Group and 7-31BV IPC-A-610 Automotive Addendum Task Group and serves on an additional 18 IPC technical committees; at IEC he is the chair of Technical Committee TC91 for electronics assembly technology.  

Mark Wolfe currently leads electronics supply chain activities for John Deere Electronic Solutions, formerly known as Phoenix International. Wolfe has been involved with IPC and the EMS Executive Council for nearly 30 years, he served on the IPC Board of Directors and is currently chairman of the EMS Steering Committee.

In addition, he has been directly involved in the development and launch of key EMS related IPC programs: program manager certification and EMS industry contracting.

“IPC and the entire electronics industry are fortunate to have Mark, Bhawnesh and Udo volunteer their time and expertise,” said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “Their work has enriched both the industry and IPC and we are thankful to all three of them for their dedication to the electronics industry and hard work supporting IPC’s global standards development activities and advocacy efforts.”

For more information on the IPC President’s Award and this year’s award recipients, contact Sandy Gentry, IPC communications director, at SandyGentry@ipc.org or +1 847-597-2871. 

IPC Crowns New Hand Soldering World Champion

IPC’s hand soldering competition returned to the United States with the first-ever IPC Hand Soldering World Championship and Rework Competition, held at IPC APEX EXPO 2019 in San Diego, California. Contestants representing Britain, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand participated in the event.  

Competitors were presented with a fully functional soldered assembly. They were required to remove six specific components, remove old solder and clean the area of removed components. During the removal of the components, the competitors were evaluated by IPC Master Instructors (MITs) in accordance with IPC-7711/7721C Rework, Modification, and Repair guidelines. The MITs deducted points from the possible score according to a standardized set of rules and best practices.

Time to completion was paused while an MIT/judge evaluated the assemblies, the removed components, and the board according to IPC-A-610G Class 3 criteria. Points were deducted for any damaged components, board features, or surrounding areas of the board. Once the evaluation was completed, time was restarted, and contestants were required to place new parts in the locations of the removed components. Competitors had a total of 75 minutes to complete the rework and reassembly of the circuit board.

The assemblies were then tested for function and evaluated in their entirety according to IPC-A-610G Class 3 criteria.

With a perfect score of 634 points, Ryosuke Matsunami, PWB Corporation, Japan, took first place, $1,000 USD and the IPC Hand Soldering World Championship title. Matsunami completed the challenge within the allotted time of 75 minutes, without a single error, earning his perfect score. With a score of 628, second place and $500 went to Wenji ZHANG, Jiangsu Jinling Mechanism Manufacture Factory, China. Third place and $250 was claimed by Le Van Linh, Spartronics Vietnam Co, Ltd., Vietnam, who earned 625 points out of a possible 634.

“The contestants deserve a great deal of respect,” said Kris Roberson, IPC director of certification programs. “It’s intricate work, especially as components keep getting smaller and smaller. This is a very challenging competition and we had a very talented field competing against one another.

“This year’s championship was a really exciting event,” added Roberson. “The global interest and involvement in hand soldering and the showcasing of very specific skill sets made for an invigorating international challenge. We would like to thank the competitors from across the globe for attending and competing in this year’s event.”

IPC would like to thank 2019 Hand Soldering World Championship and Rework Competition premiere sponsor HAKKO, and sponsors Blackfox and Thales for their enthusiastic support. Additional support was provided by Excelta, Aven Inc., Tronex Technology, Inc. and Indium Corporation.

For information on upcoming IPC Hand Soldering Competitions, visit www.ipc.org/events.

Milea Kammer, Matt Kelly, Hans-Peter Tranitz and MaryAlice Gill Receive Rising Star Awards at IPC APEX EXPO 2019

Award honors IPC members who take on leadership roles and provide support to IPC standards development

In recognition of their leadership and contributions to IPC and the electronics industry within the past five years, IPC presented IPC Rising Star awards to Milea Kammer, Ph.D., Honeywell Aerospace; Matt Kelly, IBM;  Hans-Peter Tranitz, Ph.D., Continental Automotive, GmbH; and MaryAlice Gill, Jabil Circuit at IPC APEX EXPO 2019

The IPC Rising Star award is given to individuals who have shown significant leadership ability in the past five years, making an impact on IPC and the electronics industry because of their support for IPC standards, education, advocacy and solutions to industry challenges.

Dr. Milea Kammer, a materials engineering technical manager at Honeywell Aerospace, is the co-chair for the IPC J-STD-001 committee, and a regular contributor on the Pb-Free Electronics Risk Management (PERM) Council. She is driving the industry toward incorporation of new technology requirements and provides technical input for document creation and research studies.

Matt Kelly is a senior technical staff member and senior inventor with IBM Systems, Canada. Kelly currently serves on seven technical committees at IPC. He is currently is vice chair of the 5-21H Bottom Termination Components Task Group and co-chair of the 2-17 Connected Factory Initiative Subcommittee.

Hans-Peter Tranitz is head of backend technologies at Continental Automotive, GmbH, in Germany. Dr. Tranitz co-created the IPC 5-21M Cold Joining Press-fit Task Group where he serves as co-chair.

MaryAlice Gill works in the Jabal Circuit’s Nypro Consumer Health division Clothing+ team. She is an active member of both the IPC D-70 E-Textiles Committee and IPC D-60 Printed Electronics Committee. She serves as vice-chair of the IPC Printed Electronics Terms and Definitions Task Group and co-chair of the D-71: E-Textiles Joining and Interconnection Techniques Subcommittee.

“IPC is fortunate to have MaryAlice, Milea, Hans-Peter and Matt sharing their skills and expertise with us,” said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “Their input, knowledge and innovative approach is a benefit to IPC and to the industry at large.”

For more information on the IPC Rising Star Award and this year's award recipients, contact Sandy Gentry, IPC communications director, at +1 847-597-2871.

IPC Launches Education Foundation to Strengthen Next Generation of Workers

Fifty percent of Foundation funds earmarked for scholarships in electronics

During its annual STEM Outreach program event at IPC APEX EXPO, IPC introduced the new IPC Education Foundation, a 501©(3) organization that will help students and the emerging workforce acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in the electronics industry. The IPC Education Foundation focuses on strengthening and shaping the next generation of workers by preparing the talent pipeline, engaging the emerging workforce, improving the perception of the industry, and offering scholarships to deserving students.

The IPC Education Foundation is one of many investments IPC is making in electronics and training programs to address the skills gap in manufacturing. Members of IPC employ millions of individuals worldwide and are highly dependent on workers with technical skills. The Foundation will sponsor STEM programs closely related to the industry and develop global electronics-focused curricula accompanying industry recognized credentials such as certification and badge programs to engage high school and post-secondary students. The Foundation is currently developing curriculum and credentialing pilot programs oriented to high school students and Career Technical Education instructors for release later in 2019.

As part of the IPC Education Foundation, IPC is working with industry leaders to establish and fund an internationally recognized academic scholarship program. Scholarships will go to students interested in careers offered by the electronics industry and professional development grants will be awarded to teachers who support STEM education.

One of the Foundation’s major initiatives is the formation and expansion of a network of IPC Student Chapters at Universities and Community Colleges. Foundation staff are engaged in talks with several universities and have received commitments from the following schools to establish IPC Student Chapters, including Auburn, North Carolina State, Sacramento State, Central Carolina Community College, Gwinnett Technical College, and Michigan Technical University. IPC-member companies are also getting involved -- Calumet Electronics is underwriting the student membership fees at Michigan Tech University and Weller Apex Tool Group is supporting students at North Carolina State and Central Carolina.

“These IPC Student Chapters create opportunities for IPC members to connect with prospective job candidates and get them interested in our industry. IPC members can share information with students on the latest processes and how they were developed. Member sites can host plant tours, offer internships, and give students an inside look at the industry,” said Colette Buscemi, senior director of IPC education programs. “IPC Student Chapter members get the opportunity to connect their coursework with real-world applications, expand their professional network, and apply for scholarships and internships.”

Adds John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO, “Our mission is to introduce students to careers in our industry, and to prepare them with skills that will give them a boost as they enter the job market. We have begun our fundraising efforts and are actively seeking IPC members to take a lead role. Our goal is to award thousands of dollars in scholarships in 2019 and provide students with an understanding of the sophistication of today’s smart manufacturing environments and opportunities available for an emerging workforce with the proper skills.”

For more information on the IPC Education Foundation, contact Buscemi at ColetteBuscemi@ipc.org or visit www.ipcef.org.

IPC Honors NASA and NSWC Crane with Corporate Recognition Awards

IPC bestowed its highest corporate honors on two IPC member companies, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Naval Service Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane. During a luncheon at IPC APEX EXPO 2019, the Peter Sarmanian Corporate Recognition Award was presented to NSWC Crane and the Stan Plzak Corporate Recognition Award was presented to the NASA.

The Peter Samarian Corporate Recognition award, named for a former IPC Board Chairman, recognizes an IPC-member company in the printed board industry that has supported IPC through participation in technical and management programs while providing leadership for the industry.

Members of IPC since 1985, NWSC Crane is one of Indiana’s largest high-tech employers with over 2,000 scientists, engineers and technicians. Located in Crane, Indiana, NSWC Crane is a shore command of the U.S. Navy. They provide the majority of the DoD's technical expertise supporting IPC standard development and maintenance related to printed boards and electronics assembly as well as serving as the oversight facility for the U.S. Navy's role as executive agent for printed circuit board technology.

IPC recognizes NSWC Crane’s legacy of engagement in technical standards as well as the value that NSWC Crane and the Department of Defense place on industry collaborations and the essential value of technical standards in supporting defense acquisition requirements,

Named for former IPC Board Chairman and founding member of the IPC Electronics Manufacturing Services Industry Management Council, the IPC Stan Plzak Corporate Recognition Award honors an IPC-member company in the electronics assembly industry that actively contributes to the industry while supporting IPC technical and/or management programs.

NASA and its research, space and flight centers have been members of IPC since 1995. NASA is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Currently, more than three dozen NASA employees provide leadership and technical expertise on nearly 50 standards development committees on topics ranging from assembly and joining and wire harness design to space electronic assemblies and intellectual properties. Nearly 500 NASA staff members have earned CIT, CIS, CID, CID+, and EMS certifications across all NASA entities.

“We are privileged to have NWSC Crane and NASA Flight Centers as members of IPC,” said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “We benefit tremendously from their leadership, knowledge and expertise. Their involvement in IPC has directly contributed to IPC’s global growth in the electronics industry.”

IPC Elects New Members to IPC Board

The Nominating and Governance Committee of the IPC Board of Directors presented five candidates for election at the IPC Annual Meeting on January 29, held in conjunction with IPC APEX EXPO 2019 at the San Diego Convention Center. The five candidates were elected as Board members and will serve a four-year term.
The newly elected Board members are:

  • Peter Cleveland, Vice President, Law and Policy Group & Director, Global Public Policy, Intel Corporation (second-term director)
  • Foo-Ming Fu, Chairman and CEO, HaiNa Cognitive Connections the PCBA subsidiary of Foxconn (first-term director)
  • Nilesh Naik, CEO, Eagle Circuits (second-term director)
  • Carsten Salewski, Member of the Executive Board, Sales, Marketing and International Business, Viscom AG (first-term director)
  • Jeff Timms, CEO, ASM Assembly Solutions Americas (second-term director)

"IPC is privileged to have these directors added to our current slate of Board members. All are active contributors to IPC initiatives and we look forward to their continued contributions to advancing IPC and the electronics industry," said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO.

In addition to holding Board elections, IPC honored outgoing Board members, Ray Sharpe; Mark Wolfe, John Deere Electronic Solutions; and Bhawnesh Mathur. Sharpe. Wolfe and Mathur were all honored for their nearly 10 years of service on the IPC Board of Directors.

For additional information on IPC's Board of Directors including bios on newly elected Board members, contact Sandy Gentry, IPC communications director, at SandyGentry@ipc.org.

IPC’s Highest Honor, the Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award, Presented to Leo Lambert, Long-time IPC Volunteer

In recognition and acknowledgement of his extraordinary contributions to IPC and the electronics industry, Leo Lambert, EPTAC Corporation, was presented with the IPC Raymond E. Pritchard Hall of Fame Award at IPC APEX EXPO on Tuesday, January 29 at the San Diego Convention Center. IPC’s most prestigious award, the Hall of Fame is given to individuals who have provided exceptional service and advancement to IPC and the electronics industry.

An active IPC volunteer and leader for IPC and the electronics manufacturing industry for more than 30 years, Lambert is the vice president and technical director at EPTAC Corporation. A graduate of BSME Lowell Technological Institute, now University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Lambert is an international expert on soldering and author of the text, “Soldering for Electronics Assemblies.”

An active participant in the Technical Activities Executive Committee (TAEC) and active contributor to the IPC J-STD-001 and Handbook, IPC-A-610 and IPC-AJ-820 Handbooks, IPC-A-600, IPC-6012 and IPC/WHMA-A-620, Lambert developed and wrote the first IPC-A-600 training program.

A former member of the Editorial Review board for Circuits Assembly magazine, Lambert also developed, published and conducted seminars on “Deadline to Lead Free” and “Thriving in a RoHS/WEEE Environment.” He published and presented numerous papers on soldering and cleaning at various technical seminars and exhibitions worldwide. In addition to being a past IPC chairman of many committees for soldering and cleaning, Lambert is a charter member on UNEP – the United Nations Environmental Program, a member of ICOLP – Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection, and a member of the mechanical engineering advisory board at the University of Massachusetts. He is also a recipient of the IPC President’s Award in 1989, a charter member of the IPC J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 committees, and recipient of many distinguished committee service, leadership and special recognition awards for the development of IPC training programs.

“Leo’s contributions to IPC are immense and far-reaching,” said John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO. “We are thrilled to present him with our highest honor to thank him for sharing his talents and expertise with IPC and the electronics industry.”

North American PCB Sales Growth Ends 2018 Up 8.7 Percent

IPC Releases PCB Industry Results for December 2018

IPC announced today the December 2018 findings from its North American Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Statistical Program. Sales growth bounced back in December and remained solid for the year. The book-to-bill ratio also strengthened in December and stands at 1.05.

Total North American PCB shipments in December 2018 were up 7.7 percent compared to the same month last year. Shipment growth ended the year at 8.7 percent. Compared to the preceding month, December shipments increased 17.1 percent.

PCB bookings in December were down 3.1 percent year-over-year but bookings ended 2018 at 5.7 percent above the previous year. Bookings in December were up 26.3 percent from the previous month.

“Despite slowing PCB sales growth in North America in recent months, the industry ended the year well ahead of 2017,” said Sharon Starr, IPC’s director of market research. “Although year-on-year PCB order growth was negative in December, order growth also remained positive for 2018. Despite declining orders and a related decline in the book-to-bill ratio,” Starr added, “the ratio bounced back in December. It has now been in positive territory for almost two years, which indicates a positive outlook for continued sales growth in the first half of 2019.”


Note: The January 2018-March 2018 ratios have been revised since their original publication due to updated data from statistical program participants.


Note: The January 2018-March 2018 growth rates have been revised since their original publication due to updated data from statistical program participants.

View Chart in PDF

Detailed Data Available

The next edition of IPC’s North American PCB Market Report,containing detailed fourth-quarter 2018 data from IPC’s PCB Statistical Program, will be available in February 2019. The quarterly report presents detailed findings on rigid PCB and flexible circuit sales and orders, including separate rigid and flex book-to-bill ratios, growth trends by product types and company size tiers, demand for prototypes, sales growth to military and medical markets, and other timely data. This report is available free to current participants in IPC’s PCB Statistical Program and by subscription to others. PCB companies that are IPC members doing business in North America are invited to contact marketresearch@ipc.org for information about participating. More information about this report can be found at www.ipc.org/market-research-reports.

Interpreting the Data

The book-to-bill ratios are calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period from companies in IPC’s survey sample. A ratio of more than 1.00 suggests that current demand is ahead of supply, which is a positive indicator for sales growth over the next three to twelve months. A ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the reverse.

Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry growth. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution as they reflect seasonal effects and short-term volatility. Because bookings tend to be more volatile than shipments, changes in the book-to-bill ratios from month to month might not be significant unless a trend of more than three consecutive months is apparent. It is also important to consider changes in both bookings and shipments to understand what is driving changes in the book-to-bill ratio.

IPC’s monthly PCB industry statistics are based on data provided by a representative sample of both rigid PCB and flexible circuit manufacturers selling in the USA and Canada. IPC publishes the PCB book-to-bill ratio at the end of each month. Statistics for the current month are normally available in the last week of the following month.

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