EMS industry up 14.3%

Total North American electronic manufacturing services (EMS) shipments were up 14.3 percent in April 2023 compared to the same month last year, according to a recent report from IPC. Compared to the preceding month, April shipments increased 5.5 percent. EMS bookings in April decreased 6.1 percent year-over-year and decreased 1.2 percent from the previous month.

Findings from the association’s North American EMS Statistical Program also showed the book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.21.

“EMS orders continue to trend downward,” said Shawn DuBravac, IPC’s chief economist. “April’s book-to-bill is the weakest recorded since the start of 2021.”

Detailed data available

Companies that participate in IPC’s North American EMS Statistical Program have access to detailed findings on EMS sales growth by type of production and company size tier, order growth and backlogs by company size tier, vertical market growth, the EMS book-to-bill ratio, 3-month and 12-month sales outlooks, and other timely data.

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.