SAN JOSE -- Having experienced a brief slowdown in the market last month, North American-based suppliers of semiconductor equipment posted record orders for the month of October, 2000, according to new figures released by the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) trade organization here today.
Suppliers of semiconductor equipment posted record orders of $3.04 billion in October and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.17, according to SEMI. A book-to-bill of 1.17 means that orders were 17% higher than shipments for the month, indicating an expanding market.
In comparison, the bookings figure is 5% above the September 2000 level and 89% above the $1.61 billion in orders posted in October 1999, SEMI said.
The three-month average of worldwide shipments in October 2000 was $2.59 billion, they said. The shipments figure is also 5% above the September 2000 level and 75% above the October 1999 shipments level of $1.48 billion, they added.
Overall, the figures were good news for equipment makers. After a period of sizzling growth, the semiconductor equipment market took a slight dip last month, leading some observers to believe that worldwide IC market may be heading towards a slowdown.
"Following what appears to have been a seasonal pause in growth through the summer months, orders for new semiconductor equipment re-accelerated in October," said Stanley Myers, president and CEO of SEMI, based in San Jose. "While the total equipment ratio was even with last month, orders exceeded $3 billion and front order growth was the strongest we've seen in six months."
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