SAN FRANCISCO—The book-to-bill ratio for North America-based semiconductor equipment vendors slipped to 0.87 on a three-month average basis in July, the fourth consecutive month that the figure has declined, according to the fab tool vendor trade group SEMI.
North America based fab gear vendors reported a three-month average of worldwide bookings of $1.28 billion in July, down 10.2 percent from June and down 1.5 percent from July 2011, SEMI said.
The three-month average of billings for North American equipment vendors in July was $1.48 billion, SEMI said, down 3.9 percent from June and down 2.9 percent from July 2011.
July marked the second straight month that SEMI's book-to-bill ratio was below parity. After peaking at 1.12 in March, the figure slipped to 1.1 in April, 1.05 in May and 0.93 in June.
"Bookings and billings for North American semiconductor equipment in July are close to values reported exactly one year ago," said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI, in a statement. "Seasonal slowing of investment activity in the current cycle is reflected in reduced orders as the industry enters the second half of the year."
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.
Note: Booking and billing figures in millions of dollars.