North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts August 2013 Book-to-Bill Ratio of 0.98

SAN JOSE, Calif. — September 20, 2013 — North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.06 billion in orders worldwide in August 2013 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.98, according to the August EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI.   A book-to-bill of 0.98 means that $98 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in August 2013 was $1.06 billion. The bookings figure is 11.9 percent lower than the final July 2013 level of $1.21 billion, and is 2.7 percent lower than the August 2012 order level of $1.09 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in August 2013 was $1.08 billion. The billings figure is 10.1 percent lower than the final July 2013 level of $1.20 billion, and is 18.7 percent lower than the August 2012 billings level of $1.33 billion.

"The SEMI Book-to-Bill ratio slipped below parity as the three-month average bookings declined in August,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI.  "While some investment activity may be slowing, we see spending by foundries and flash memory suppliers to be key drivers for investments for the remainder of the year and into 2014."   

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

	Billings (3-mo. avg)	Bookings (3-mo. avg)	Book-to-Bill
March 2013	991.0	1,103.3	1.11
April 2013	1,086.3	1,173.9	1.08
May 2013	1,223.4	1,321.3	1.08
June 2013	1,213.7	1,334.2	1.10
July 2013 (final)	1,204.0	1,207.2	1.00
August 2013 (prelim)	1,081.9	1,063.9	0.98

Source: SEMI, September 2013

The data contained in this release were compiled by David Powell, Inc., an independent financial services firm, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and David Powell, Inc. assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data.

The data are contained in a monthly Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. The report tracks billings and bookings worldwide of North American-headquartered manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture semiconductor devices, not billings and bookings of the chips themselves. The Book-to-Bill report is one of three reports included with the Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS).

SEMI is the global industry association serving the nano- and micro-electronic manufacturing supply chains. Our 1,900 member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.semi.org.