North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts May 2008 Book-to-Bill Ratio of 0.79

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Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:03pm EDT

  SAN JOSE, CA, Jun 19 (MARKET WIRE) -- 
North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.03
billion in orders in May 2008 (three-month average basis) and a
book-to-bill ratio of 0.79 according to the May 2008 Book-to-Bill Report
published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.79 means that $79 worth of
orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

    The three-month average of worldwide bookings in May 2008 was $1.03
billion. The bookings figure is about five percent less than the final
April 2008 level of $1.09 billion, and about 37 percent less than the
$1.64 billion in orders posted in May 2007.

    The three-month average of worldwide billings in May 2008 was $1.31
billion. The billings figure is about two percent less than the final
April 2008 level of $1.34 billion, and about 21 percent less than the May
2007 billings level of $1.67 billion.

    "Booking are approaching levels observed in 2005, which was the last time
the semiconductor industry reported a year-over-year decline," said
Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "The data does not indicate
a change in this trend over the next quarter."

    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           Bookings
                    (Three-month avg.) (Three-month avg.)      Book-to-Bill

December 2007                 1,361.7            1,156.3               0.85
January 2008                  1,279.3            1,141.0               0.89
February 2008                 1,310.8            1,205.4               0.92
March 2008                    1,344.9            1,165.6               0.87
April 2008 (final)            1,337.3            1,090.3               0.82
May 2008 (prelim.)            1,312.6            1,030.4               0.79

Source: SEMI June 2008

    
The data contained in this release was 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.

    SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply
chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. SEMI
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
Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai,
Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit
www.semi.org.

    Editors Note:

    Next SEMI Book-to-Bill: July 17, 2008; 3:00 p.m. PDT

    For information on SEAJ Book-to-Bill Report, visit www.seaj.or.jp.

    

Association Contacts

Dan Tracy
SEMI
Tel: 1.408.943.7987
E-mail: Email Contact

Scott Smith
SEMI
Tel: 1.408.943.7957
E-mail: Email Contact

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