Rethinking Stats In Manufacturing Equipment


Consolidation, slower market growth due to increasing complexity, and extended lead times have prompted SEMI to drop its book-to-bill reports. Long considered the best way to assess the health of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment business, the industry organization now views the book-to-bill report as far less valuable than in the past. "At the leading edge, there are only a handf... » read more

Bounceback In Equipment Market


For three months, beginning in July, the major index by which the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing equipment gauges its health took a dip, leaving executives in a highly cyclical industry in nail-biting mode. Since then, however, they seem to have recovered some of their composure. At the center of this angst is SEMI’s book-to-bill ratio, which is a three-month moving average of bookings a... » read more