August 19, 2011 — North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.30 billion in orders in July 2011 (three-month avg) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.86, according to the July Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. The book-to-bill ratio for the Japanese chipmaking equipment sector dropped 0.12 points from June to 0.84 in July, the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan reported to Nikkei.
The three-month average of worldwide bookings for North American semiconductor tool makers in July 2011 was $1.30 billion. Bookings were 15.7% less than the final June 2011 level of $1.54 billion, and 29.3% below the $1.84 billion in orders posted in July 2010. Japan’s July orders for chipmaking equipment were down 8.1% from June at 91.7 billion yen (US$1.19 billion), posting a sharp decline for the second month in a row.
The three-month average of worldwide billings in July 2011 was $1.52 billion for North American companies, 7.6% below the previous month and 1.4% above July 2010. Shipments were up 5.3% at 109.8 billion yen for Japan’s chip tool makers.
"Temporary softening" in end-market demand is to blame for the sudden orders drop-off, says Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. Myers and his Japan-based counterparts noted capex hesitation from memory makers in particular. Foundry utilization is also lower, show both groups.
| North America data only | Billings (3-mo. avg) |
Bookings (3-mo. avg) |
Book-to- Bill |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2011 | 1,839.3 | 1,595.5 | 0.87 |
| March 2011 | 1,657.5 | 1,580.8 | 0.95 |
| April 2011 | 1,635.4 | 1,602.4 | 0.98 |
| May 2011 | 1,669.2 | 1,623.0 | 0.97 |
| June 2011 (final) | 1,640.2 | 1,540.4 | 0.94 |
| July 2011 (prelim) | 1,516.2 | 1,298.1 | 0.86 |
| Source: SEMI August 2011 | |||
A book-to-bill of 0.86 means that $86 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month. The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.
The North American semiconductor tool data were compiled by David Powell, Inc., an independent financial services firm, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and David Powell, Inc. assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data. The data are contained in a monthly Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. SEMI is a global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. For more information, visit www.semi.org.
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