N. American semicon equipment makers post Nov book-to-bill ratio of 0.83

KUALA LUMPUR: North America-based semiconductor equipment
manufacturers posted US$973.3 million in orders in November 2011and a
book-to-bill ratio of 0.83, according to the US-based Semiconductor
Equipment Manufacturers Industry association (SEMI).

In the November Book-to-Bill report published on Dec 15, SEMI said
the November bookings figure was 5% more than the final October 2011
level of US$926.8 million, and 35.7% below the US$1.51 billion in orders
posted in November 2010.

A book-to-bill of 0.83 means that $83 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI said the three-month average of worldwide billings in November 2011 was US$1.17 billion.

The billings figure is 6.7% less than the final October 2011 level of
US$1.26 billion, and 25.1% less than the November 2010 billings level
of US$1.57 billion.

SEMI president and CEO Denny McGuirk said the improvement in the book-to-bill ratio was due to a slight increase in bookings.

“The industry waits for definitive signs of stability in the
worldwide economy, which will improve end market demand and help
solidify investment plans for 2012,” said McGuirk.