Latest from Issues and Ideas

Pennsylvania State University
Concept for AM-produced shape-memory-alloy (SMA) radiator .
Ilja Enger Tsizikov | Dreamstime
Transmission towers and electrical substation, at sunset.
Andrey Popov | Dreamstime
Illustrated digital human hand and businessman, arm wrestling.
Pratt & Whitney
Engine assembly at Pratt & Whitney in Middletown, Conn.
U.S. Steel
U.S. Steel Gary, Ind. Works
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney Middletown, Conn., GTF engine assembly.
Pacific Steel Group
A rendering of Pacific Steel Group's micromill plan, in Mojave, Calif.
Norican Group
IPG designs, builds, and support machines and work cells for diecasting.
Eck Industries
Eck Industries aluminum housing.
BiancoBlue
Tracking supplies and inventory in a manufacturing operation.

Reviewing the Midyear Reviews

July 3, 2024
There is uncertainty everywhere in manufacturing – with slow demand for manufactured products leading to weak revenue growth for manufacturing businesses. Here are three perspectives on the first half of 2024, and a peek at the months ahead of us.

Six months into 2024 the manufacturing sector is still puzzling over many of the same questions it recognized in January. No one is wondering about a recession or a soft landing these days, but the combination of high interest rates and persistent inflation have kept manufacturers’ long-range planning on hold.

Those are not the only factors shaping manufacturers’ outlook: supply chain reliability and labor availability remain considerable concerns.

In this installment of Great Question, listen to the analysis found in mid-year studies from three different perspectives on the manufacturing economy.