KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 24): North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$1.37 billion in orders worldwide in December 2014 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.98, according to the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

A book-to-bill of 0.98 means that US$98 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month.

In a statetement on its website on Jan 23, SEMI said the bookings figure was 12.3% higher than the final November 2014 level of US$1.22 billion, and is 1.1% lower than the December 2013 order level of US$1.38 billion.

SEMI president and CEO Denny McGuirk said while three-month averages for both bookings and billings increased, billings outpaced bookings slightly, nudging the book-to-bill ratio slightly below parity.

"2015 equipment spending is forecast to remain on track for annual growth given the current expectations for the overall semiconductor industry,” he said.