[Click on the image to enlarge; Source: ZVEI]

The German electrical and electronics industry trade association PCB and Electronic Systems reported that in September 2010 the total sales of the German printed circuit board manufacturers increased by nine percent compared with the previous month. Compared with the same month of the previous year total sales increased by 37 percent. The cumulative increase for the first three quarters was 35 percent. The number of new orders was five percent more than in the previous month and 26 percent above the figure for September 2009.

The value of the accumulated orders in the first three quarters was almost double the value for the same period of the previous year. The number of new orders was therefore only 2.5 percent below the level achieved in the pre-crisis year of 2008. The number of new orders received was once again considered to be typical for the season and as a result of this and the simultaneous increase in total sales the book-to-bill ratio fell to 0.92.

The Central Association of the German Electrical and Electronics Industry expects a similar value for the coming months as the large backlog of orders now has to be processed. In September the number of new employees increased by almost two percent compared with the previous month. This was due to the need for additional staff as special measures had been introduced to reduce the order backlog.