View original at www.logisticsmgmt.com

March manufacturing output remains in positive territory, reports ISM ProMat 2017 features more than 350,000 square feet of expo space ProMat 2017: Keynote panel shares green DC design tips Stand-alone traffic management software, controller unveiled at AutoGuide Mobile-Enabling Logistics: Turning the “Last Mile” into a Competitive Advantage More News While manufacturing output did not expand materially from February, which marked its highest reading in more than three years, to March, it still remained firmly entrenched in growth mode, according to data issued in today’s Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) monthly Manufacturing Report on Business. The March PMI, the index used by the ISM to measure growth, was 57.2 in March (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth), down 0.5 percent from February’s 57.7, which is the highest PMI reading going back to August 2014’s 57.9. The PMI has now grown for the last seven months and is up 4 percent over the 12-month average of 53.2, with the over all economy growing for 94 consecutive months. ISM said that 17 of the 18 manufacturing sectors contributing to the report reported growth in February, including: Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Printing & Related Support Activities; Furniture & Related Products; Textile Mills; Machinery; Primary Metals; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Wood Products; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Plastics & Rubber Products; Paper Products; Transportation Equipment; Chemical Products; Computer & Electronic Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Fabricated Metal Products; and Petroleum & Coal Products. No industry reported contraction in March compared to February. Even though the PMI remains in solid shape, some of the core metrics showed sequential declines from February to March. New orders, which are often viewed as the engine driving manufacturing, dropped 0.6 percent to 64.5 and grew for the seventh consecutive month. This followed a 4.7 percent gain from January to […]