Shipments of printed circuit boards (PCBs) increased 21.8% in September from August and new order bookings increased 31%, according to trade group IPC. However, shipments declined 14.3% from September 2008 and bookings dropped 6.4%. Year-to-date shipments declined 25.5% and bookings dropped 23.4%.

The improvement in orders and bookings in September resulted in the printed circuit board book-to-bill ratio rising to 1.08. That means board manufacturers received $108 in new orders for every $100 of shipments they shipped in September.

The growth in orders and shipments is an indicator that the printed circuit board industry is turning around, says IPC President Denny McGuirk.

He notes that both rigid printed circuit board and flexible circuit sales and orders increased in September compared to August. Rigid PCB shipments grew by 21.7% from August and bookings increased 29.7%, says IPC. Flexible circuit shipments in September 2009 went up 7.9% and bookings increased 12.1% compared to September 2008.