SEMI releases 2012 Q4 worldwide photovoltaic equipment market report

SEMI, an industry association serving the manufacturing supply chain for the micro- and nano-electronics industries, reported that for the quarter ending December 31, 2012, the worldwide photovoltaic manufacturing equipment book-to-bill ratio remained well below parity, at 0.45, for the seventh consecutive quarter. Booking levels continue to be low as PV manufacturers grapple with oversupply across the supply chain. Worldwide bookings, which represent net new orders for PV manufacturing equipment, improved 1 percent in Q4'12 compared to the previous quarter; however, Q4'12 bookings were down 48 percent year-over-year. Worldwide billings contracted 15 percent in Q4'12 versus Q3'12. On a year-over-year basis, Q4'12 billings declined 39 percent. SEMI PV Book-to-Bill Ratios 2010-2012 (by quarter) Total billings for the full year 2012 dropped to $2.55 billion or a 59 percent decline from 2011 billings of $6.18 billion. Annual bookings in 2012 totaled $1.31 billion, which is 74 percent below 2011 bookings of $4.97 billion. On a regional basis, equipment sales were dominated by Asia. For the full year of 2012, Asia represented about 80 percent of total billings. The worldwide PV equipment billings and bookings data is gathered jointly with the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) from about 50 global equipment companies that provide data on a quarterly basis. SEMI Worldwide Photovoltaic Equipment Market Statistics Report