North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts October 2008 Book-to-Bill Ratio of 0.93

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $843 million in orders in October 2008 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.93 according to the October 2008 Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.93 means that $93 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

The three-month average of worldwide bookings in October 2008 was $843 million. The bookings figure is about 30 percent greater than the final September 2008 level of $650 million, and about 28 percent less than the $1.18 billion in orders posted in October 2007.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in October 2008 was $908 million. The billings figure is two percent less than the final September 2008 level of $927 million, and about 39 percent less than the October 2007 billings level of $1.48 billion.

"While three month average bookings improved in October, overall bookings and billings for North American equipment manufacturers are at levels comparable to 2003," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "Our industry will have to look to the early part of 2009 for clearer signals of market direction."

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

                         Billings         Bookings
                        (Three-month     (Three-month
                         avg.)            avg.)            Book-to-Bill
                         ---------------- ---------------- ----------------
May 2008                          1,313.0          1,029.3             0.78
June 2008                         1,159.8            934.2             0.81
July 2008                         1,077.2            889.0             0.83
August 2008                       1,064.5            866.8             0.81
September 2008 (final)              927.3            649.9             0.70
October 2008 (prelim.)              908.3            842.8             0.93

Source: SEMI November 2008

The data contained in this release was compiled by David Powell, Inc., an independent financial services firm, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and David Powell, Inc. assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data.

The data are contained in a monthly Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. The report tracks billings and bookings worldwide of North American-headquartered manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture semiconductor devices, not billings and bookings of the chips themselves.

SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. SEMI member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.semi.org.

Editors Note:
Next SEMI Book-to-Bill: December 17, 2008; 3:00 p.m. PST
For information on SEAJ Book-to-Bill Report, visit www.seaj.or.jp