SIPLACE records noticeable increase in investments in placement machines

The signs of a recovery in the electronics manufacturing industry are mounting. Market analyses and the latest order bookings of Siemens Electronics Assembly Systems GmbH & Co. KG (SEAS) show that the investment activities in the SMT industry are finally on the rise again. The speed and the scope of the recovery vary. China passed the low mark already in early 2009 and has seen significantly rising investments ever since. European manufacturers on the other hand did not see a course reversal until the fall of the same year, and when the change came it was significantly more moderate than in China, but nevertheless noticeable.

The SIPLACE team benefits from a stabilizing growth trend again. In the winter quarter of 2009, new orders rose by more than 15 percent, making this the third quarter in a row with rising order bookings. And for the first time in quite a while, the numbers were also on the rise again in SIPLACE's home region of Europe. In China, where the recovery is more advanced, SEAS recorded 63 percent more order bookings in the fourth quarter of 2009 compared to the same period last year – a clear indicator of China’s dominating position in the SMT market. SEAS also managed to deliver five times as many SIPLACE placement machines during the fourth quarter as during the same period in 2008, which enabled the SIPLACE team to further increase its market share in this booming SMT region.

"According to our numbers, we have passed the low point in all regions. China recovered at an especially fast clip – significantly faster than after the 2000/2001 crash. That's why we are particularly pleased that we were able to improve our market position in China. The European market recovery is another indicator that the global upturn is stabilizing," said Ray Bruce, SEAS’s head of Global CRM & Sales, about the latest market numbers.