NA semicon equipment industry posts Oct. 09 book-to-bill ratio of 1.10

SAN JOSE, USA: North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $756.2 million in orders in October 2009 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.10, according to the October 2009 Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 1.10 means that $110 worth of orders was received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in October 2009 was $756.2 million. The bookings figure is slightly less than the final September 2009 level of $758.9 million, and 9.9 percent less than the $839.7 million in orders posted in October 2008.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in October 2009 was $689.8 million. The billings figure is 6.4 percent greater than the final September 2009 level of $648.4 million, and nearly 21 percent less than the October 2008 billings level of $871.4 million.

“The SEMI book-to-bill number has been above 1.0 for four months now, reflecting small and generally steady increases as the semiconductor industry continues a slow recovery," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “Bookings in October 2009 have flattened, and we will continue to watch this number. SEMI maintains our forecast of a slowly improving capital spending outlook for the remainder of 2009 and into next year.”

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. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of US dollars.Source: SEMI