The June 2008 Book-to-Bill Report from SEMI posted a strong increase to
0.85, compared to that posted in May of only 0.79. This equated to
$1.03 billion in orders in June 2008 (three-month average basis) for
North America-based equipment suppliers. This is only the second rise
in the book-to-bill ratio in 2008.
However, the bookings figure is approximately 36 percent less than the $1.61 billion in orders posted in June 2007.
"With
a half year of data at hand, bookings for the North American equipment
manufacturers are down 27 percent compared to the same period one year
ago," said Daniel Tracy, Senior Director of Industry Research and
Statistics at SEMI. "The industry awaits more clarity in the overall
economic condition before increasing capital spending.”
The
three-month average of worldwide billings in June 2008 was $1.21
billion, about eight percent less than the final May 2008 level of
$1.31 billion, and about 31 percent less than the June 2007 billings
level of $1.77 billion.