BANNOCKBURN, Ill., USA, December 6, 2016 — Printed circuit boards (PCBs) for military and aerospace applications remain the largest vertical market segment for PCB manufacturers in North America, representing about one-third of the market. And it is the only vertical market segment expected to grow in 2016 as a share of the North American market, according to IPC's 2016 Analysis and Forecast for the North American PCB Industry.

Other key findings include segmented market data showing that flexible circuit market growth has continued to outpace rigid PCB growth by a wide margin, but the negative growth rates seen in recent years in the rigid PCB market steadily diminished and growth turned positive in 2015. Estimated PCB production in North America declined 4.3 percent from 2014 to 2015, while estimated market growth was virtually flat, increasing just 0.4 percent.

The annual survey-based study provides a comprehensive overview of the market and business of PCB manufacturing in North America. It contains current data and analysis covering rigid PCBs and flexible circuits separately, including market and production growth, production and sales by product categories, prototype production, vertical markets and use of special technologies such as RF and embedded components. It also reports key financial and operational metrics including revenue per employee, capacity utilization, inventory turns and lead times. Forecasts of PCB production in the Americas and the world through 2017 from Dr. Hayao Nakahara, a leading industry analyst and consultant to the PCB industry, are included in the report.

The findings within the report result from data contributed by the companies that participated in IPC’s North American PCB Statistical Program in 2015 and year-end survey. Statistical program participants represent an estimated 51 percent of the North American PCB market.

The 57-page, downloadable report is available to IPC members for $450 and to nonmembers for $900. Participants in the year-end survey received a complimentary copy of the report. For more information or to purchase the 2016 Analysis and Forecast for the North American PCB Industry, visit www.ipc.org/PCB-Study-2016.

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About IPC

IPC ( www.IPC.org) is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,800 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.