SIC 3672 Printed Circuit Boards

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT.
• ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE.
• BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT.
• CURRENT CONDITIONS.
• INDUSTRY LEADERS.
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3672

This category includes establishments primarily engaged in the manufacture of printed circuit boards, sometimes referred to as printed wiring boards.

A printed circuit board (PCB) is a thin piece of insulating material onto which tiny electrical wiring pathways or "traces" have been printed, usually by a photoengraving process. PCBs provide the physical structure for mounting electronic components, such as semiconductors. The printed traces then serve to interconnect the components, forming an electronic system. PCBs are used in a wide range of electronic products, including computers, telecommunications equipment, electronic instruments, and automobiles.

NAICS CODE(S)

334412

Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

In 2003 the U.S. printed circuit board (PCB) industry's total shipment values equaled just over $5 billion, representing a 58 percent decline from $12 billion in 2000. During the mid- to late 1990s the PCB industry was robust, fueled by significant growth in the telecommunications industry. However, when the telecomm industry flattened at the end of the 1990s, PCB manufacturers were left with overcapacity and too much inventory. Also, many companies had narrowed their focus on the telecomm sector, and when it bottomed out PCB manufacturers were not diversified enough to withstand the loss. The industry was further hurt by the recessive economy of the early 2000s. By the mid-2000s, the industry was recovering, with gradually increasing revenues.

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

Establishments that manufacture boards for industrial and commercial sale account for approximately 90 percent of the entire market. So-called "captive" PCB makers, primarily large original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that make their own boards, comprised the remaining 10 percent.

During the early 1990s the primary markets for PCB were industrial controls, military commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS; items that require no military specifications or drawing and thus can be bought "off the shelf"), and telecomm. Smaller markets included medical, transportation, and specialized scientific applications. The market shifted significantly as PC motherboards and peripheral component interconnect (PCI) slots dropped in price and flooded the marketplace during the latter 1990s. Many manufacturers retooled to provide computer PCBs. In the mid-2000s the primary market sectors were military/COTS, telecomm/communications, and embedded PCs. U.S. manufacturers focused largely on the telecommunications and networking sectors, leaving PCBs for personal computers to international companies.

Despite significant restructuring and consolidation during the early 2000s, the industry remains fragmented. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 936 companies were involved in the production of PCBs in 2002. Of that total, the top fourteen companies accounted for 27 percent of the industry's revenues. The 390 companies that had twenty or more...