Chip gear index slips slightly, ending steady rise since April
Semiconductor Business News
(09/20/01 19:04 p.m. EST)
SAN JOSE -- The book-to-bill ratio slipped slightly in August for North American-based suppliers of chip production systems after steadily increasing since April, said Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) today.
SEMI's book-to-bill index stood at 0.61 vs. 0.63 in July after new tool orders dropped 3% in August compared to the previous month. Until now, the trade group's SEMI Express Report has shown a steady increase in the monthly book-to-bill ratio since April, when the index hit a record low 0.44. (August's reading of 0.61 indicates that suppliers were booking $61 of new orders for every $100 worth of products shipped.)
The new market numbers continue to show a "leveling in the decline of orders and shipments seen in the past several months," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. But he remains worried about the months ahead following last week's terrorist attacks in the United States and growing weakness in the overall economy.
"The effects of recent current events and wavering consumer confidence and spending, however, could further exacerbate the already tenuous situation in regards to chip demand and capacity," Myers cautioned.
Worldwide bookings received by North American suppliers in August dropped 3% to $742.2 million, compared to $761.4 million in July, based on SEMI's three-month moving average. Shipments of systems by these suppliers were nearly flat in August at $1.207 billion compared to $1.210 billion in July, SEMI said.
August orders were 75% below $2.98 billion received in the month last year, while shipments were 50% lower than $2.4 billion in August 2000, the trade group said. |
