December 17, 2004 – North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.35 billion in orders in November (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.00 according to the SEMI’s November 2004 Book-to-Bill Report.

A book-to-bill of 1.00 means that $100 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in November 2004 was $1.35 billion. The bookings figure is 2% below the revised October 2004 level of $1.37 billion and 46% above the $923 million in orders posted in November 2003.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in November 2004 was $1.34 billion. The billings figure is 6% below the revised October 2004 level and 53%above the November 2003 billings level of $876 million.

“Total orders for semiconductor equipment have declined about 16% from the peak observed in June of this year, although they remain well above levels reported one year ago,” said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. “The North American equipment book-to-bill ratio increased in November as billings declined at a steeper pace than bookings based on a three month average.”