Worldwide production of printed circuit boards (PCBs) was flat in 2008, climbing a negligible one percent over 2007 to $50.8 billion, according to the World PCB Production & Laminate Market Report for the Year 2008, released this week by IPC ― Association Connecting Electronics Industries. Published annually, the report includes estimates of PCB production value and laminate market by product type and by country to help industry members identify and quantify global PCB material and process equipment opportunities and constraints. The value of PCB production in 2009 is expected to end in a double-digit decline from 2008. China share of PCB production continued to grow in 2008 to 31.4 percent of world production, while most other countries shares either held steady or declined. Japan is the second biggest producer with 22.5 percent. Asia now has 84 percent of the world PCB production value. North American and European PCB production declined slightly, holding eight percent and seven percent shares, respectively, in 2008. High-density interconnect (HDI) was one of the few growth markets in the PCB industry in 2008 with production heavily concentrated in Asia. The value of PCB production in Europe declined approximately 10 percent in real terms in 2008. In North America, the production decline was about 6.5 percent, while the North American market declined by around 5.3 percent, suggesting that production levels were affected by both a shrinking home market and continued movement of production to other regions. IC substrates and high-performance PCBs were the only growth areas in North American PCB production in 2008. IPC World PCB Report is considered the industry recognized source document regarding global printed circuit and laminate market size by type and country by leading analysts and executives. I used this annual IPC report while vice president of marketing and sales at Morton Electronic Materials and now, as both an industry analyst and a member of Coretec Board of Directors, I continue to find this report indispensable, said Walt Custer, president, Custer Consulting Inc. This unique report is useful to all tiers of the world electronics food chain. World PCB Production & Laminate Market Report for the Year 2008 is developed by the World Market Consensus Committee, comprising the world leading analysts in the electronic interconnection industry. Using a consensus process, committee members pool their knowledge to produce this annual report. The report is available only to IPC members free of charge and can be accessed at www.ipc.org/World-Report-2008. Nonmembers may purchase the report for $1000 and receive a one-year facility membership in IPC, which includes many other member benefits. To purchase the report, visit www.ipc.org/pcb-world-report. Information on IPC membership benefits is available at www.ipc.org/membership. For more information on World PCB Production & Laminate Market Report for the Year 2008 or other IPC market research studies and reports, contact Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research, at +1 847-597-2817 or SharonStarr@ipc.org.