Semi equipment spending 12% down this year

SEMI says the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market will fall 12.2% in 2012 to $38.2bn and will decline another 2.1% in 2013.

In 2014, however, it will rise 12.5%.

Wafer processing equipment is expected to fall 14.8% to $29.3bn; assembly and packaging equipment will decline by 5.1% to $3.2bn; test equipment will fall 4.8% to $3.6bn; “Other Front End” category (fab facilities, mask/reticle, and wafer manufacturing equipment) will increase 6.3%.

Taiwan will increase spending 12.7% this year and Korea 10.7%. In every other region sales will fall. Korea will spend $9.6bn on equipment while the US will spend $8bn.