The American Mold Builders Assn.’s Summer 2004 Business Forecast shows an improved economy, reflected in a marked improvement in business among the AMBA’s mold manufacturing member companies.
With 141 respondents, the highest ever responding to the Quarterly Business Forecast survey, AMBA is confident that the results are reflective of an upturn in overall manufacturing. It says current business conditions are "excellent" for 14.2% of the respondents and "good" for another 51.1%. That’s the highest percentage in those categories since the fall of 1997 when 33% responded that business was excellent and 49% reported that business was good.
Projections for member companies’ business over the next three months show that the majority of respondents expect their business to "increase moderately" (40.4%) or "remain the same" (48.2%). Backlog has improved for most respondents and profits are holding steady, as is employment. Sixty-six percent of the respondents report no change in employment at their plants, while 24% report an increase in employment; only 11% say that employment is down.
For more information on the Summer 2004 Business Forecast Survey, contact AMBA at (630) 980-7667 or visit www.amba.org.
