Japan March chip equipment orders down 14.1% year-to-year

April 20, 2005 – Global orders for Japanese semiconductor manufacturing equipment fell 14.1% in March from a year earlier to Y115.38 billion, according to preliminary data released Tuesday by SEAJ, said the Nihon Keizai Shimbun.

The book-to-bill ratio for Japanese chipmaking equipment manufacturers came to 0.81 in March, below the key 1.00-mark for the third month, the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan said in a press release.

That was a slight deterioration from February, when the ratio was at 0.83. In January, the figure stood at 0.94.

The book-to-bill ratio measures the amount of new orders compared with the amount of actual products shipped. A ratio higher than 1.00 means new orders outpaced shipments, implying a good business outlook.

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