World PCB Production’s High Growth in 2017 Detailed in New IPC Report

IPC’s World PCB Production Report for the Year 2017, published last week, shows how the global PCB industry achieved an estimated 13.9 percent real growth in 2017 – the fastest growth since the recovery year of 2010 – and what the industry’s global footprint looks like today. The report provides current estimates of PCB production value by country, region and product category, with commentary about industry trends and historical data.

According to the report, China’s share of world PCB production continued to grow in 2017, accounting for more than half of world production value. Production in Taiwan and Japan declined as percentages of world production in 2017 due to continued off-shore investment. The greatest growth in the proportion of world PCB production in 2017 was seen in Vietnam and Thailand. Growth in Thailand’s industry, coupled with the continuing decline in the U.S. industry share, caused Thailand to move ahead of the United States and become the fifth-largest PCB-producing country in 2017.

Despite its declining share, the value of U.S. PCB production grew an estimated 5.9 percent in real terms in 2017. Although just 3.9 percent of world PCB production is done in the United States, U.S.-based companies own 6.5 percent of global production. Despite evidence of a small on-shoring trend, most large U.S. companies still produce a substantial share of their PCBs outside the United States.

The World PCB Production Report is IPC's longest-running annual study, now in its 40th year. It is a definitive source of data on global PCB production, developed by a team of leading PCB industry analysts.

The new report is available for download in IPC's online store. Single-user prices are $475 for IPC members and $950 for nonmembers. Multi-user licenses are also available.