KUALA LUMPUR (June 19): North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$1.56 billion in orders worldwide in May 2015 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.03, according to the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

A book-to-bill of 0.99 means that US$99 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month.

In a statetement on its website on June 18, SEMI said the bookings figure was 0.8% lower than the final April 2015 level of US$1.51 billion, and is 11.6% higher than the May 2014 order level of US$1.41 billion.

SEMI president and CEO Denny McGuirk said the May book-to-bill ratio slipped below parity as billings improved and bookings dipped slightly from April’s values.

“Compared to one year ago, both bookings and billings continue to trend at higher levels,” he said.