KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 25): North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$1.79 billion in orders worldwide in July 2016 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.05, according to the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

A book-to-bill of 1.05 means that US$105 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month.

In a statetement on its website on Aug 23, SEMI said the bookings figure was 4.7% higher than the final June 2016 level of US$1.71 billion, and is 13.1% higher than the July 2015 order level of US$1.59 billion.

SEMI president and CEO Denny McGuirk said monthly bookings have exceeded $1.7 billion for the past three months with monthly billings trending in a similar manner.

"Recent earnings announcements have indicated that strong purchasing activity by China and 3D NAND producers will continue in the near-term,” he said.