May 23, 2012 — North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor fab equipment posted $1.60 billion in orders and $1.45 billion in billings in April 2012 (three-month average basis) for a book-to-bill ratio of 1.10, according to SEMI.

The three-month average of $1.60 billion in worldwide bookings is 10.7% higher than the final March 2012 level of $1.45 billion, and is flat compared to April 2011.

The three-month average of $1.45 billion in worldwide billings shows 13.0% growth from the final March 2012 level of $1.29 billion, though it is 11.0% below the April 2011 billings level of $1.64 billion.

The steady increase in book-to-bill ratios may receive an even bigger boost as 2012 progresses, with “indications of increased spending” coming from foundries and packaging subcontractors, noted Dan Tracy, senior director of Industry Research & Statistics at SEMI.

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. A book-to-bill of 1.10 means that $110 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

Source: SEMI May 2012
The data contained in this release 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. The report tracks billings and bookings worldwide of North American-headquartered manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture semiconductor devices, not billings and bookings of the chips themselves. The Book-to-Bill report is one of three reports included with the Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS).

SEMI is a global industry association serving the nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains. For more information, visit www.semi.org.

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