NORTH AMERICAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT INDUSTRY POSTS AUGUST 2000 BOOK-TO-BILL RATIO OF 1.24
Average Monthly Orders Top $3 Billion
SAN JOSE, Calif., September 21, 2000 -- The North American-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment reached another milestone in August 2000, posting average monthly bookings of more than $3 billion for the first time, with a resulting book-to-bill ratio of 1.24, it was reported by Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI). A book-to-bill of 1.24 means that orders were 24 percent higher than shipments for the month, indicating an expanding market.
The three-month average of worldwide shipments in August 2000 was $2.44 billion. The shipments figure is three percent above the July 2000 level and is 69 percent above the August 1999 shipments level of $1.44 billion.
The three-month average of worldwide bookings in August 2000 was $3.01 billion. The bookings figure is four percent above the July 2000 level and is 93 percent above the $1.57 billion in orders posted in August 1999.
"The North American semiconductor equipment industry has now seen 18 consecutive months of year-over-year growth. While there are diverse opinions as to how long the current expansion cycle will last, most industry analysts expect at least another 12-18 months of orders growth," said Elizabeth Schumann, director of industry research and statistics for SEMI. "The fact that the industry reached the $3 billion mark for orders is perhaps more significant since this occurred in August, traditionally a weak month for the semiconductor equipment industry."
The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving average bookings to three-month moving average shipments for the North American semiconductor equipment industry. Shipments and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.
Shipments Bookings Book-to-Bill
March 2000 1,744.9 2,546.5 1.46
April 2000 1,991.4 2,715.7 1.36
May 2000 2,157.7 2,778.3 1.29
June 2000 (final) 2,259.6 2,858.8 1.27
July 2000 (revised) 2,373.0 2,907.8 1.23
August 2000 (prelim.) 2,439.1 3,013.3 1.24
The data contained in this release was compiled by the independent public accounting firm of Arthur Andersen LLP, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and Arthur Andersen LLP can assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data.
The data are contained in a monthly Express Report published by SEMI that tracks shipments and orders worldwide of North American-based manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture semiconductor devices, not shipments and orders of the chips themselves. The September 2000 Express Report is scheduled for publication on October 23, 2000 (subject to change).
Based in San Jose, Calif., SEMI is an international trade association serving more than 2,400 companies participating in the $65 billion semiconductor and flat panel display equipment and materials markets. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Boston, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, Seoul, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit SEMI on the Internet at www.semi.org. |
