The Global Electronics Association monthly figures indicate a divergent trend with growing bookings amidst a decline in sales orders.
Research firm Global Electronic Association (GEA), released its September 2026 findings from the North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) statistical program. EMS shipments in North America were down 10.8 per cent compared to the same month last year.
While the book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.68, compared to previous month, September shipments were down 10.4 per cent. September’s Year to Date (YTD) shipments increased 3.4 per cent.
On the other hand, EMS bookings for September increased by 41.7 per cent YoY and 19.3 per cent YTD.
“EMS manufacturers are working to fulfill a growing pipeline of orders. Some of the widening gap between EMS commitments and deliveries reflect longer procurement and production-planning horizons, as customers secure components ahead of future production,” said Dr. Shawn DuBravac, Global Electronics Association’s chief economist.
| 3-Month Book-to-Bill | 1-Month Book-to-Bill | Shipments3-Month MA | Bookings3-Month MA | Shipments YTD | Bookings YTD |
| 1.68 | 1.74 | -5.6% | 11.9% | 3.6% | 19.3% |
GEA calculates the book to bill ratio by dividing the value of orders booked in the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period of all the companies under GEA’s sample survey. A ratio of more than 1.00 indicates that there is more demand than the supply and a ratio of less than 1.00 indicates the opposite.
Since bookings tend to be more volatile,the book-to-bill ratios from month to month may not be helpful until a trend doesn’t start emerging for three consecutive months. The monthly statistics provided by Global Electronics Association are based on data collected from EMS industry players in the US and Canada, and are published every month.
