North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$905 million in orders in July 2008 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill (B/B) ratio of 0.83, meaning US$83 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month, according to SEMI.
The three-month average of worldwide bookings in July 2008 posted a 3% drop on month and 36% drop on year. Whereas the billings are is about 6% drop on month and 36% drop on year, SEMI detailed.
"Orders for semiconductor equipment continue reflect the pronounced cutback in capital expenditures this year and are at the lowest levels since November of 2003," said Daniel Tracy, senior director of industry research and statistics at SEMI. "While chip-makers remain attentive to cost controls, this remains a highly cyclic industry. Factory utilization levels, unit demand growth and planned fab projects suggest that new investment activity will resume in 2009.
| North American-based semiconductor equipment B/B ratio, | |||
| Month | Billings (three-month average) | Bookings (three-month average) | B/B |
| Feb-08 | 1,310.80 | 1,205.40 | 0.92 |
| Mar-08 | 1,344.90 | 1,165.60 | 0.87 |
| Apr-08 | 1,337.30 | 1,090.30 | 0.82 |
| May-08 | 1,313.00 | 1,029.30 | 0.78 |
| June 2008 (final) | 1,159.80 | 934.2 | 0.81 |
| July 2008 (prelim.) | 1,087.40 | 904.8 | 0.83 |
Source: SEMI, compiled by Digitimes, August 2008
Article translated by Esther Lam
