Capital Equipment

With the year half over, many organizations are reevaluating their investment plans. Are sales strong enough to justify new equipment or information technology? Will continuing uncertainty in Europe temper enthusiasm for new commitments? At times like this, it’s helpful to know what competitors are thinking. U.S. and international manufacturing plant executives reported 2011 spending on capital equipment at 5% of sales (median) and 8.7% (average); spending on information technology was 1% of sales (median) and 4.3% (average) in 2011. Perhaps more importantly, 42% of the plant executives reported that capital-equipment spending would increase in 2012; 37% of executives said [...]