U.S. manufacturing up in December after three monthly declines
TEMPE, Arizona (January 3, 2003) — Economic activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector grew for the first time in four months in December, and the overall economy grew for the 14th consecutive month, according to a survey of U.S. supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. The chemical industry was one of 11 U.S. industries reporting an uptick in business in December.
The report was issued by Norbert J. Ore, chairman of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee and group director, strategic sourcing and procurement, Georgia-Pacific Corporation.
"The manufacturing sector rebounded in December," Ore said. "A strong showing in new orders drove the PMI upward, while the Production Index strengthened and helped push the PMI up by 5.5 percentage points. The question at this point is whether the manufacturing sector can continue to gather momentum during the first quarter of 2003." ISM’s Backlog of Orders Index indicates that order backlogs declined for the sixth consecutive month. ISM’s Supplier Deliveries Index reflects slower deliveries for the 12th consecutive month. Manufacturing employment continued to decline in December as the index remained below the breakeven point (an index of 50 percent) for the 27th consecutive month. ISM’s Prices Index is above 50 percent as manufacturers experienced higher prices for the 10th consecutive month. New Export Orders grew in December after a one-month decline. December’s Imports Index grew for the second consecutive month. Comments from purchasing and supply executives in some instances indicate improvement in new orders during December. But there are still those who see little if any improvement in their business. The situation with Iraq appears to still be weighing on some. The uncertainty remains a deterrent to business. ISM’s PMI was 54.7 percent in December, an increase of 5.5 percentage points when compared to 49.2 in November. ISM’s New Orders Index rose from 49.9 percent in November to 63.3 percent in December. ISM’s Production Index rose 1 percentage point from 54.6 percent in November to 55.6 percent in December. The ISM Employment Index was at 47.4 percent for December, an increase of 3.6 percentage points when compared to the 43.8 percent reported in November. ISM’s Supplier Deliveries Index registered 51.4 percent compared to 50.8 percent in November. ISM’s Inventories Index rose to 46.2 percent from 42.1 percent in November. ISM’s Customers’ Inventories Index for December was at 43 percent, a decrease of 3.5 percentage points compared to the November reading of 46.5 percent. ISM’s Prices Index in December was 56.9 percent, an increase of 1.2 percentage points from November’s 55.7 percent. ISM’s Backlog of Orders Index rose 4 percentage points from 42.5 percent in November to 46.5 percent in December. ISM’s New Export Orders Index registered 52.2 percent, up 3.1 percentage points from November’s 49.1 percent. ISM’s Imports Index rose from 53.1 percent in November to 55.3 percent in December. All ISM indexes reflect growth when at more than 50%, and contraction at less than 50%. “Overall, these positive signs may help provide momentum for Q1 as companies start to see some improvement," Ore said. "The magnitude of the improvement is somewhat difficult to explain at this point. One respondent mentioned the mid-week holiday as a motivator for customers to place increased orders to cover their needs.” Of the 20 industries in the manufacturing sector, 11 industries reported growth: Food; Leather; Instruments & Photographic Equipment; Printing & Publishing; Textiles; Furniture; Electronic Components & Equipment; Paper; Wood & Wood Products; Transportation & Equipment; and Chemicals. "There were no reports of commodities in short supply," Ore said. "Commodities reported up in price are: Caustic Soda, Copper, Corrugated Containers, Hydrochloric Acid, Natural Gas, Paper, and Polyethylene. Steel is the only commodity reported down in price." CIDX a welcome addition to cyber-security effort The decision by the Chemicals Sector Cyber-Security Information Sharing Forum to tap CIDX to establish security standards for the industry and encourage the accelerated adoption of improved security technology is welcome news indeed. Web services study focuses on business applicationsPALO ALTO, California (January 6, 2003) -- The Open Network for Commerce Exchange (ONCE), the world's largest alliance of electronic trading networks, has been awarded a Next Generation Internet (NGI) Program grant by CommerceNet and the California Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency's Division of Science, Technology and Innovation to research the business implications of Web services. CIDX takes on cyber-security roleARLINGTON, Virginia (January 7, 2003) - The Chemical Industry Data Exchange (CIDX) and the Chemicals Sector Cyber-Security Information Sharing Forum have launched the Chemicals Sector Cyber-Security Practices, Standards and Technology Initiative under a newly formed unit within CIDX focused specifically on cyber-security. Dow AgroSciences says court reinstates key Mycogen biotechnology patentINDIANAPOLIS, Indiana (June 5, 2001) -- On May 30, 2001, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Mycogen Plant Science, Inc. is entitled to continue a biotechnology-related patent infringement suit against Monsanto Company. The Mycogen patent at issue covers a process for increasing the expression of Bacillus thuringiensis ("B.t.") insect resistance traits in crops. HAHT schedules chemical forum in SeptemberRALEIGH, N.C. (June 5, 2001) -- HAHT, which develops software that enables private e-marketplaces, has scheduled the third in a series of quarterly conferences for September 13 in Wilmington, Delaware. The meeting will be hosted by Basell, a 50-50 joint venture between BASF and Shell. Trade-Ranger to add services through NetworkOilHOUSTON (June 6, 2001) -- Trade-Ranger and NetworkOil have signed an agreement that gives Trade-Ranger access to a number of services from NetworkOil, which offers both online and traditional marketplace options. Forrester: European B2b sites lack plan for ROIEurope’s 100 largest manufacturing firms are pouring millions of dollars into developing B2B commerce sites with no clear idea of how those sites will save them money or generate additional revenues, according to a new study by Forrester Research. Sigma-Aldrich launches "Core Products" for fine chemicalsST. LOUIS, Missouri (June 6, 2001) -- Sigma-Aldrich Fine Chemicals, a division of Sigma-Aldrich Corporation (Nasdaq:SIAL), has launched Core Products, a new Aldrich Corporation (Nasdaq:SIAL), has launched Core Products. ChemConnect-Envera executives detail mergerSAN FRANCISCO, California (June 7, 2001) – ChemConnect and Envera, which made a surprise announcement that they have merged effective immediately, said in an exclusive interview Thursday that they expect the deal to cut their expenses and raise their adoption rate to the point that they will achieve profitability by the end of 2002. CB&I Names Richard E. Goodrich Executive VP and CFOPLAINFIELD, Ill. --July 23, 2001--Chicago Bridge & Iron Company N.V. today announced the appointment of Richard E. Goodrich as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. He replaces Timothy J. Wiggins, who has elected to leave the Company. Goodrich will be based in the Company's Houston office and will report to Gerald M. Glenn, Chairman, President and CEO. Planet Polymer Announces Changes in Board of DirectorsSAN DIEGO--July 23, 2001--Planet Polymer Technologies today announced changes in its Board of Directors. BBJ Environmental Solutions, Inc. Eliminates Toxic Cleaning Threat with the Introduction of Power Coil CleanTAMPA, Fla. --July 23, 2001--BBJ's newest product, Power Coil Clean, provides the safest and strongest cleaning available to remove the most stubborn soils and dirty deposits found on various HVAC/R (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration) components as well as all other surfaces. Dow to Acquire Celotex Corporation's Rigid Foam Insulation BusinessMIDLAND, Mich., July 24 -- The Dow Chemical Company announced today it has agreed to purchase the assets of the Celotex Corporation's rigid foam insulation business. The purchase includes all Celotex brand polyisocyanurate insulation products for residential and commercial markets, as well as other accessory products. The new business will be integrated into Dow's North American Building Materials business. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. CheMatch quarterly transaction volume surpasses one million metric tonsHOUSTON (July 24, 2001) – CheMatch (chematch.com), an Internet-based marketplace and information resource for the buying and selling of bulk commodity chemicals, plastics and feedstocks, has reported that its Global Trading Network has set another quarterly trading record. IndigoB2B.com and ChemQuest announce global allianceNEWARK, New Jersey (July 24, 2001) – IndigoB2B.com (indigob2b.com), an e-commerce solutions provider servicing the specialty chemicals industry, and The ChemQuest Group (chemquest.com), an international strategic management consulting firm, have formed a marketing, sales and business development collaboration to further expand the customer base for e-commerce strategies designed for buyers and sellers of specialty chemicals. Airgas Reports Strong First Quarter ResultsRADNOR, Pa.-- July 24, 2001--Airgas, Inc., today reported results for its first quarter ended June 30, 2001. Net earnings for the quarter were $10.1 million, or $0.15 per Ballard, Shell Hydrogen and Westcoast Energy Establish Private Capital JointAMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, July 25 -- Ballard Power Systems, Degussa selects CrossWorlds business process integration solutions for e-businessBURLINGAME, California (July 19, 2001) – Degussa AG (degussa.com) has selected CrossWorlds’ (crossworlds.com) business process integration software to interconnect with Elemica (elemica.com) on a pilot project. U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve taps Plateau 4 LMS to automate delivery of learning and knowledgeARLINGTON, Virginia (November 6, 2002) - The U.S. Department of Energy's Strategic Petroleum Reserve has selected the Plateau 4 Learning Management System (LMS), from Plateau Systems, a provider of enterprise software designed to manage an organization's learning and knowledge, to manage mission-critical learning and automatically deliver required training to all of its employees, partners, customers and suppliers. Texas Petrochemicals deploys Oracle Enterprise Asset ManagementREDWOOD SHORES, California (November 7, 2002) - Texas Petrochemicals, a provider of specialty chemicals and fuel products utilizing C4 hydrocarbons, has deployed the Oracle Enterprise Asset Management solution to proactively manage its manufacturing equipment.
|
|