NA semicon equipment industry posts Dec. 2010 book-to-bill ratio of 0.90

SAN JOSE, USA: North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.53 billion in orders in December 2010 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.90, according to the December 2010 Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.90 means that $90 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in December 2010 was $1.53 billion. The bookings figure is 1.4 percent more than the final November 2010 level of $1.51 billion, and is 68 percent above the $912.7 million in orders posted in December 2009.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in December 2010 was $1.70 billion. The billings figure is 8.7 percent more than the final November 2010 level of $1.57 billion, and is 100 percent more than the December 2009 billings level of $850.1 million.

“Orders for new semiconductor manufacturing equipment placed by worldwide customers to North American manufacturers remained constant while billings edged upward in comparison with our last report,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “The continued pace of billings reflects the strong order rate that persisted at record levels through most of the last year.”Source: SEMI, USA.