Bannockburn, IL. The North American PCB Market Report, published last week by IPC-Association Connecting Electronics Industries, reported IPC’s final estimates of 2015 market size for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits in North America. Although North American PCB production decreased 4.3% in 2015 to $2.9 billion, the PCB market grew 1.4% to an estimated $3.4 billion. Growth in the North American PCB market was driven by flexible circuit sales, which increased in double digits in 2014, while rigid PCB sales declined slightly. The outlook for PCB sales in the coming year is for continued slow growth, with normal seasonal patterns.
In addition to providing timely data on PCB market size, sales, and order growth, the monthly report also shows data on key leading indicators, including order backlogs and book-to-bill ratios by industry segment, as well as one-year forecasts. Trends in sales of boards to the military and medical markets are reported, as well as trends in prototype sales. Data are reported for rigid PCBs and flexible circuits separately. The rigid PCB data are further segmented by company size tiers, and percentages of board sales using embedded technology, RF circuits, and metal core are reported. Flexible circuit data includes trends in bare circuit versus assembly revenue sources. The data come from IPC’s North American PCB Statistical Program, which has tracked the industry for more than 50 years.
A one-year subscription to the monthly report is available for $1,200 per year, with a discounted annual price of $600 for IPC members.