North American semiconductor equipment industry posts March 2013 book-to-bill ratio of 1.14

USA: North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.14 billion in orders worldwide in March 2013 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.14, according to the March Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI.  A book-to-bill of 1.14 means that $114 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in March 2013 was $1.14 billion. The bookings figure is 5.9 percent higher than the final February 2013 level of $1.07 billion, and is 21.3  percent lower than the March 2012 order level of $1.45 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in March 2013 was $1.00 billion. The billings figure is 2.8 percent higher than the final February 2013 level of $974.7 million, and is 22.2   percent lower than the March 2012 billings level of $1.29 billion.

“Continued improvement in three-month average bookings for new semiconductor manufacturing equipment is reflected in the March figures, which indicate a 23 percent improvement over the prior quarter," said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI.  “While the overall expansion of new manufacturing capacity remains muted, we see continued investment in technology upgrades by the world’s chip makers.”