ECSN chairman Adam Fletcher noted: “The three month moving average for sales of all electronic components suggests that growth will slow during Q1 2018, which is in marked contrast to the Q1 historical trend. While the Book-to-Bill ratio in December 2017 remained ‘flat’, the trend line suggests a positive ratio is likely in Q1 2018.”
In terms of product groups, sales of semiconductors dropped by 5%, passives saw a 12% boost in revenues, while sales of emech products rose by 6%.
“Global GDP is forecast to grow at 3% as markets progress into 2018, but global electronic components markets are forecast to grow at twice that rate,” Fletcher observed. “Authorised distributors will continue to find themselves challenged to meet the needs of players throughout the supply network.”