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Manufacturing Performance

A year ago, manufacturing executives expected that their 2012 plant sales would increase by 9% (median) and 10.5% (average), according the 2011 MPI Manufacturing Study.[1] Those projections may yet turn out to be true given recent U.S. Department of Commerce data. Despite a modest drop in value of manufacturing shipments from May to June this year, the value of all manufacturing shipments year-to-date rose 5.8% across all industries vs. 2011 (not seasonally adjusted).[2] Both durable goods and non-durable goods shipments posted year-to-date increases, 9.1% and 3%, respectively. Primary metals lead the durable goods sector with a 20.9% increase; plastics and [...]

By |2016-12-21T22:51:04+00:00December 13th, 2014|George Taninecz, Manufacturing, MPI Manufacturing Study|Comments Off on Manufacturing Performance
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GDP in Balance

As the world’s largest economy, attention is rightly focused on U.S. economic growth and gross domestic product (GDP). Now with additional attention on the country’s “fiscal cliff” — or gradual fiscal slide depending on the severity of economist projections — concern is growing that U.S. GDP will decline sharply in early 2013 and reverberate worldwide. Unfortunately, the timing of this occurs on top of better-than-expected U.S. GDP growth in the third quarter of 2% (second quarter to the third quarter), according to a U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis advanced estimate in late October. In the second quarter, real GDP grew by 1.3%.[1] U.S. GDP grew by 1.7% [...]

By |2016-12-21T22:51:15+00:00December 13th, 2014|Economic Growth, GDP, George Taninecz|Comments Off on GDP in Balance
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Investing for the Future

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 [...]

By |2015-03-30T18:52:31+00:00December 13th, 2014|Capital Equipment, George Taninecz, Information Technology, Manufacturing, MPI Manufacturing Study|Comments Off on Investing for the Future
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Hiring? Think Safety

U.S. factory employment rose 470,000 from January 2010 to March 2012, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with manufacturers adding 37,000 persons in March. Top hires were at motor vehicles and parts companies (more than 12,000) and machinery companies (more than 7,000).[1] Manufacturers are staffing up because orders are rising, and management is increasingly feeling the constraint of underemployment as they try to hit their output numbers. But increasing output should not be the first order of business for management as new hires and/or returning workers walk into plants. Think safety. In addition to training new or [...]

By |2016-12-21T22:51:38+00:00December 13th, 2014|George Taninecz, Manufacturing, OSHA, Safety|Comments Off on Hiring? Think Safety
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