SEMI Releases Second Quarter 2012 Worldwide Photovoltaic Equipment Market Statistics Report

At 0.33, book-to-bill ratio is below parity for the fifth consecutive quarter


SAN JOSE, Calif. — September 18, 2012 — SEMI today reported the worldwide PV manufacturing equipment billings and bookings for the second quarter of 2012. After declining to its lowest level in the previous quarter since the start of the data program, worldwide billings increased slightly in the second quarter, up two percent quarter-on-quarter. However, the reported billings of $706 million were only 35 percent of the billings reported in the same quarter a year ago. Excluding the one-time large order reported in the previous quarter, worldwide bookings extended its six-quarter declining trend, falling 20 percent for the quarter to $235 million, reaching its lowest level since Q1 2010.  At 0.33, the book-to-bill ratio stayed below parity for the fifth consecutive quarter.

PV Book to Bill Chart

Source: Worldwide PV Equipment Market Statistics Report, September 2012

Overcapacity and falling prices continue to plague the PV industry, and the extremely challenging environment for PV equipment suppliers worldwide is likely to persist due to low booking activities from PV manufacturers, coupled with no near-term signs of recovery. Thus it is vital that equipment suppliers focus on long-term strategy to withstand the challenge. 


The worldwide PV equipment billings and bookings data is gathered jointly with the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) from about 50 global equipment companies that provide primary data on a quarterly basis.


The SEMI Worldwide Photovoltaic Equipment Market Statistics Report is available by subscription. Each subscription includes four quarterly reports and each quarterly report includes three parts:

  • Quarterly Worldwide Billings and Bookings Data Report (Excel)
  • Highlights and Analysis (PDF)
  • Billings and Bookings Database (with all historical data starting with 1Q’10, in Excel pivot table format).


Reporting Categories:

  • Market Region: Americas; Asia (China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Rest of Asia); Europe; Rest of World
  • Supply Chain Segment: Poly/Ingot/Wafer; Crystalline Silicon Cell; Crystalline Silicon Module; Thin Film 
  • Equipment Type: Component; Single Equipment; Equipment Lines

 

For more information on equipment coverage, reporting categories, data collection methodology, sample report, and how to subscribe, please visit http://www.semi.org/en/node/38716, or contact SEMI customer service at 1.877.746.7788 (toll free in the U.S.) or 1.408.943.6901 (International).


About SEMI and PV Group

SEMI is the global industry association serving the nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains. The SEMI PV Group represents SEMI member companies involved in the solar energy supply chain. Our 2,000 member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. SEMI maintains offices in Beijing, Bengaluru, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C.  For more information, please visit www.semi.org and www.pvgroup.org.


Association Contact

Deborah Geiger/SEMI
Phone: 408.943.7988
Email: dgeiger@semi.org

 

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