North American semiconductor equipment industry posts May 2011 book-to-bill ratio of 0.97

SAN JOSE, USA: North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.62 billion in orders in May 2011 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.97, according to the May Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.97 means that $97 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in May 2011 was $1.62 billion. The bookings figure is 1.1 percent more than the final April 2011 level of $1.60 billion, and is 6.2 percent above the $1.53 billion in orders posted in May 2010.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in May 2011 was $1.67 billion. The billings figure is 2.0 percent more than the final April 2011 level of $1.64 billion, and is 24.0 percent more than the May 2010 billings level of $1.34 billion.

“Three-month average bookings improved slightly in May and both bookings and billings are higher than one year ago,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “As we approach the half-year point, the data substantiates global industry expectations for double-digit growth this year.”Source: SEMI, USA.