A quick peek into some research on … the economic state of manufacturing in the US. 
I don’t research the market or financials, but the least 12-24 months have been tough on manufacturers and all of those that are a part of the manufacturing ecosystem. I saw this press release from the Associated Press, and realized how long I have been waiting for some positive indication for all of us. And here it is…”Stocks higher on improving manufacturing data.” It’s about time!
The Research
The statement was based on two reports. Here are the findings from the release:
On Thursday, investors were encouraged by news that factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region jumped back into positive territory in August, reaching its highest level since November 2007, before the recession began. The report from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank echoed findings earlier this week in a similar survey for the New York region.
Implications for Manufacturers
Maybe these reports are a sign that brighter futures are ahead. Although these two reports are not enough to build a strategy around, I thought we could all use some good news. For those that have been diligently working on product innovation during the quiet time, maybe 2010 will finally be the time to take the wraps off of your new products to greet a receptive market. Good luck to us all on this.
So that was a quick peek into some recent research on the manufacturing market, I hope you found it interesting. I look forward to sharing some more of my own research on PLM with you over the next month. Does the research reflect your reality? Do you see it differently? Let us know what it looks like from your perspective.
Browsing through my social networking sites I found a blog from Chris Kelley of Siemens PLM. While mine was a very quick commentary on some potential signs of recovery, Chris’ “Manufacturing a Recovery” post is much more thorough. While I was pointing toward signs of possible manufacturing recovery (he has more examples, including a recent ISM chart) he was pointing to manufacturing actually leading the way out of the recovery. Very interesting take. And if all goes well – another sign that we may be heading for better times. Hats off to Chris for a nice post!