NA semiconductor equipment industry posts October 2012 book-to-bill ratio of 0.75

USA: North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $743.2 million in orders worldwide in October 2012 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.75, according to the October Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI.  A book-to-bill of 0.75 means that $75 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in October 2012 was $743.2 million. The bookings figure is 18.6 percent lower than the revised September 2012 level of $912.8 million, and is 19.8 percent lower than the October 2011 order level of $926.8 million.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in October 2012 was $986.5 million. The billings figure is 15.3 percent lower than the revised September 2012 level of $1.16 billion, and is 21.6 percent less than the September 2011 billings level of $1.26 billion.

“Semiconductor industry investments remain muted as the industry enters the fourth quarter,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. ““Investments in leading-edge technologies will continue to drive spending in the near-term, while a clearer 2013 outlook will emerge over the next couple of months as capex plans are announced.”