KUALA LUMPUR (June 17): North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$1.75 billion in orders worldwide in May 2016 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.09, according to the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI).

A book-to-bill of 1.09 means that US$109 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month.

In a statetement on its website on June 16, SEMI said the bookings figure was 9.6% higher than the final April 2016 level of US$1.60 billion, and is 2.8% higher than the May 2015 order level of US$1.56 billion.

SEMI president and CEO Denny McGuirk said bookings and billings for new semiconductor equipment continue to improve.

"The data are consistent with higher spending expectations for the second half of the year,” he said.