April 19, 2006 – Demand for semiconductor manufacturing equipment from North-American based providers continued to steam ahead in March with single-digit sequential gains, according to new data from SEMI.

Bookings in March were $1.35 billion, nearly 5% higher than February and a 37% increase from March 2005. Orders have risen by 24% over the past five months, by a total of about $260 million. Billings rose 1% sequentially and 2% year-on-year to $1.35 billion, and have risen 10% in the past five months (representing about $120 million). The book-to-bill ratio was 1.04, meaning that $104 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The incremental growth in bookings, a second straight month of B:B above the 1.0 parity mark, and recent capital spending announcements suggests the market continues to be strong, and “reinforces industry optimism for a healthy upturn in 2006,” stated Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI.