In another sign of a slowdown, North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted a book-to-bill ratio of 1.00 in August, down from 1.06 in July, according to the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials (SEMI) trade group on Tuesday (Sept. 19).

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

After posting a book-to-bill of 1.14 in June, the ratio has fallen for two consecutive months. Indeed, the fab-tool industry is losing steam.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in August 2006 was $1.73 billion. The bookings figure is even with the final July 2006 level of $1.73 billion and almost 57 percent higher than the $1.10 billion in orders posted in August 2005.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in August 2006 was $1.74 billion. The billings figure is over six percent above the final July 2006 level of $1.64 billion and 65 percent above the August 2005 billings level of $1.06 billion.

SEMI remains upbeat. "North American equipment manufacturers posted the highest billings level since March 2001, while bookings remained even," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI (San Jose, Calif.), in a statement. "Overall, both bookings and billings are trending as expected for the cycle, with 2006 being a strong growth year for the industry."

By: DocMemory
Copyright © 2023 CST, Inc. All Rights Reserved