New IPC Report Shows Turnaround in North American PCB Market Size and Domestic Production

IPC’s 2018 Annual Report on the North American PCB Industry, published this week, contains data showing the industry’s turnaround as it emerged in 2017 and how it affects different segments of the industry.

One key finding is IPC’s preliminary estimate of the size of the North American PCB market, which indicates growth of nearly nine percent in 2017. This makes 2017 the first year of any significant PCB market growth since the recovery year of 2010. Preliminary data on North American PCB production in 2017 also indicates solid growth in domestic production. Another notable change is seen in the 2017 market growth for rigid PCBs versus flexible circuits. For the first time since 2011, rigid PCB market growth outpaced flexible circuit market growth.

The military and aerospace market continues to represent the largest share of North American PCB production, reaching 40 percent for the reporting companies. Substantial growth was also seen the medical device and instrumentation market for PCBs. Sales of PCB prototypes experienced unusually strong growth in the flexible circuit segment.

Lead times increased steadily for all types of rigid PCBs during 2017, increasing more than 35 percent on average over the course of the year. In the flexible circuit segment of the industry, capacity utilization increased gradually in each quarter of 2017.

The report covers the size and growth of the region’s PCB market by product type, domestic production, sales and order growth by product type and company size tier, shares of eight vertical markets as percentages of sales, prototype sales, percentages of rigid PCBs with special technologies such as RF and embedded components, and other business data including capacity utilization, inventory turns and lead times for rigid PCB and flexible circuit businesses. The report is based on data collected in IPC’s North American PCB Statistical Program, in which the sample of survey participants represent more than 50 percent of the region’s PCB market.

The 2018 Annual Report on the North American PCB Industry, at $450 for IPC members and $900 for nonmembers, is available for download in IPC’s online store. For information on IPC market research reports and services, visit www.ipc.org/market-research-reports and www.ipc.org/IndustryData, or contact IPC’s market research team at marketresearch@ipc.org.