Source: FBDi e.V. (please click into the graphic for enlarged view) FBDi Chairman Gerog Steinberger

The FBDi e.V. reports sales of 529 million Euro for the German components distribution market in the 4th quarter 2008. This result is 8.2 percent below the value of Q4/2007. The orders received were reduced to 507 million Euro which corresponds to a Book-to-Bill rate of 0.96. For the whole year the market lost 6.1 percent and fell to approximately 2.4 billion Euro.

Whereas the semiconductor sales were reduced by approximately 7.2 percent (to 368 million Euro), the passive components suffered with a reduction of 11.1 percent (82 million) and the electro-mechanical market with 12 percent (62 million). The remaining modules (power supply and displays) with about 3% of the total sales played a subsidiary role. There had been no change in the proportion between semiconductors (70 percent), passives (15.5 percent) and electro-mechanicals (11.5 percent). The sales trend is similar when taken over the whole of 2008: semiconductors -5.5 percent, passives -10.3 percent and electro-mechanicals -6.6 percent.

FDBi Chairman Georg Steinberger (Avnet) summarizes: “… except for Eastern Europe the trend everywhere has been downwards in double digits. For 2009 we expect a further minus in our market but are convinced that this will be confined to the single-digit range.”

The FBDi e.V. has been in existence since 2004 and has a membership of 24 modules distributors, as well as some modules manufacturers as development members. Important subjects for the coming year are seen by the association as the proper implementation of RoHS, WEEE and other EU guidelines such as REACh that affect the electronic industry both directly and indirectly. According to their own estimates, the FBDi and its members represent about two thirds of the sales volume in the German distribution market for electronic components.