The Global Electronics Association announced the April 2026 findings from its North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stood at 1.36.
Total North American EMS shipments in April 2026 increased 3.1% compared to April 2025. Shipments declined 6.5% compared to the preceding month. Year-to-date (YTD) shipments for 2026 rose 4.0% year-over-year. EMS bookings in April 2026 grew 4.6% year-over-year and increased 4.0% from the previous month. YTD bookings decreased 0.8% compared to the same period in 2025.
“North American EMS bookings accelerated for a second straight month while shipments slipped from a strong March but held above last April. EMS order books remain healthy and the demand picture remains steady,” said Dr. Shawn DuBravac, Global Electronics Association’s chief economist.
The book-to-bill ratio is calculated by dividing the value of orders booked over the past three months by the value of sales billed during the same period. A ratio above 1.00 indicates that current demand is ahead of supply.
Detailed data on EMS sales growth by type of production and company size tier, order growth, backlogs, vertical market growth, sales outlooks, and other metrics are available to participating companies.
The statistics are based on data from a representative sample of assembly equipment manufacturers selling in the USA and Canada. Year-on-year and year-to-date growth rates provide the most meaningful view of industry performance. Month-to-month comparisons should be made with caution due to seasonal effects and short-term volatility.
