In stark contrast to the bubbling US software market, word from the Santa Clara-based American Electronics Association reports that although 1991 global sales of domestically produced electronics products and services improved, orders were persistently slow. Electronics sales in 1991 increased by 1.3% to $309,800m but orders slipped $400,000 to $299,300m. The December book-to-bill ratio was 0.93, the tenth consecutive month the indicator has been below unity. President Richard Iverson says that This past year our industry has experienced the sluggish performance often seen late in a prolonged recession. Segment data for 1990 shows sales increased in three product areas – telecommunications, consumer and components. Orders were up only in the telecommunications segment. On balance, there was little growth in the electronics industry in 1991. The estimates of sales and orders are based on Department of Commerce data.
Content from our partners
