Chemical Guide

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$1.13 billion in orders in January 2010 and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.2, according to the January 2010 Book-to Bill Report published recently by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

A book-to-bill of 1.2 means that US$120 worth of orders was received for every US$100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in January 2010 was US$1.13 billion. The bookings figure is up 24.1 percent from the final December 2009 level of US$912.7 million, and more than three times higher than the US$277.2 million in orders posted in January 2009.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in January 2010 was US$946.3 million. The billings figure is 11.3 percent greater than the final December 2009 level of US$850.1 million, and 62.0 percent more than the January 2009 billings level of US$584.2 million.

“Semiconductor capital equipment bookings are at the highest level since April 2008,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “The book-to bill ratio of 1.2 reflects the robust capex spending plans announced by semiconductor device manufacturers over the past several months.”

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. SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries.

Source: chinapost.com.tw