Market Data

A revived and growing automotive industry along with an overall strengthening in manufacturing made 2011 a banner year for robotics sales in North America. New statistics released by the Robotics Industries Assn. (RIA) last week (Feb. 2), showed a total of 19,337 robots valued at $1.7 billion were sold to companies in North America, beating the previous record of 18,228 robots sold in 2005.

Today's metalworking environment has changed dramatically over the past two decades but many apprenticeship programs haven't matched those changes.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector continued its expansion in January, marking the 30th consecutive month the sector has grown, according to the latest report from the Institute for Supply Management. The pulse of the nation's supply chain managers is taken each month by the ISM to provide an indicator of manufacturing activity.

"Levels of optimism increased while pessimism decreased across all company revenue segments" for the month of December, according to the Supplier Sentiment Index released by the Original Equipment Supplier's Assn. The report, released Jan. 16, showed that supplier optimism increased to 66 from a low of 37 in September. Of the 109 respondents, an average of 58% said they were "somewhat more optimistic," up from 25% in November.

Bioplastics manufacturer Cereplast has announced a strong set of financial results showing robust growth in 2011. Its annual shareholder review detailed strong growth, fueled in part by the signing of several large distribution agreements, establishment of operations in Europe, and knock-on benefits from the worldwide green legislation movement toward the ban of plastic bags.

According to The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT), the forecast for manufacturing technology demand calls for "continued but slower growth." That comment comes on the heels of a resurgence in U.S. manufacturing technology orders that put the year-to-date (Dec. 26, 2011) total at $463.32 million, up 80.5% compared with 2010, and the second highest dollar amount in the last 15 years.

December 2011 marked the 29th consecutive month that economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded, according to the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing Institute for Supply Management Report on Business. That positive outlook notwithstanding, of the 18 manufacturing industries tracked by the ISM, only nine reported growth in December, and none of those was in the plastics category. Plastics & Rubber Products was the first category in the ordered list of industries showing a contraction in December.

Almost half of the former automaker sites closed since 1979 have transitioned to new, productive uses according to a study from the Center for Automotive Research (CAR; Ann Arbor, MI). CAR's research on transitioning former automotive manufacturing sites to new purposes, includes a catalogue of the status of all closed facilities since 1979, and lessons learned from seven case study visits.

"Full speed ahead", that's how the Italian plastics machinery manufacturing association, Assocomaplast, described the year that was for its 170 members, manufacturers of machinery, moulds and equipment for plastics and rubber. The report noted that at time of political and economic tumult in Italy, it was exports that sustained the domestic plastics and rubber processing machinery industry.