Purchasing articles from March 2004

Purchasing archives from March 2004

Purchasingdata.com's forward demand indicators 90-day.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Buyers are scrambling for raw materials and components in a demand surge not seen in seven years. [up arrow] 2.3 Buying expansion continues to build Up Down Same Index...

Expect to hear a lot more about the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to foreign shores.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Expect to hear a lot more about the outsourcing of U.S. jobs to foreign shores in the 2004 presidential election. Democrats are going to use the specter of factory and white-collar service jobs moving to India, China and elsewhere to convince...

Web conferencing isn't a huge market yet.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Web conferencing isn't a huge market yet, at $400$500 million annually. However, Praful Shah, director of strategic communications at market leader WebEx Communications, expects industry sales grow to "a couple of billion dollars in 3 to 4...

Samsung Electronics Co., the world's third-largest mobile handset maker.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Samsung Electronics Co., the world's third-largest mobile handset maker, is aggressively pushing into the U.S. and European markets but has decided to keep its cellular telephone prices an average 50% higher than its key rivals. Why? Samsung...

Get smart on indirect buying at Purchasing's new On-Demand MRO Symposium.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)
March 4, 2004... Get smart on indirect buying at purchasing's new on-demand MRO Symposium. A bevy of experts, including PURCHASING'S MRO All-Stars, give practical tips on how to buy indirect supplies better. The four-session program (priced at $95) includes...

Corporate earnings will be 11% higher this year than in 2003.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Corporate earnings will be 11% higher this year than in 2003, forecasts the Value Line Investment Survey, and dividends will rise by 4%. Interest rates will be only slightly higher and inflation will "remain muted." Business investment and...

The second generation of travel security is adding tension to international flying.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... The second generation of travel security is adding tension to international flying. The U.S. is fingerprinting and photographing visitors from many nations and detaining and deporting more folks with visa issues. So, get used to new, more...

Purchasingdata.com's 90-day copper & brass price expectations.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Illustration)
March 4, 2004... (Diffusion index, less than 50 = falling, more than 50 = rising) [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Buyers reckon declining supplies at a time of increased demand will boost prices to an eight-year high. [arrow up] 10.8 Price expectations,...

New York copper cathode has soared by 40 cents/lb since December.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... New York copper cathode has soared by 40 cents/lb since December but pricetags could go up, down or sideways. Some analysts have said fundamentals are aligned for a bull market in the red metal, with world refined supplies falling, Chinese...

Wall Street analysts now expect the world aluminum ingot price for 2004 to spike.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Wall Street analysts now expect the world aluminum ingot price for 2004 to spike to 74 cents/lb from 65 cents in 2003, as supply doesn't match the demand pickup due to an intensifying shortage of alumina, its raw material.

Substantial price hikes for ethylene could be triggered in coming months.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Substantial price hikes for ethylene could be triggered in coming months because no new capacity is due to come on-stream until 2005, suggests analyst Paul Bjacek at SRI Consulting. Ethylene is a basic feedstock used to produce petrochemicals...

International Energy Agency has renewed warnings of potential oil price volatility.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... International Energy Agency has renewed warnings of potential oil price volatility because of worsening winter weather and diminishing inventories in such industrialized countries as the U.S. Crude oil prices averaged $34/barrel this quarter,...

Upward pressure on ocean freight rates is evident.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Upward pressure on ocean freight rates is evident, says Robert Fay at Canaccord Capital, because current freighter capacity remains tight on the first legs of the shipments out of North America. In fact, he sees no immediate end to inflationary...

Consumer advocates see higher wireless prices from the $41 billion merger.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Consumer advocates see higher wireless prices from the $41 billion merger of AT&T Wireless Services into Cingular Wireless. The deal trimming the number of national players from six to five would create a cellular giant with 46 million...

Purchasingdata.com's 30-day corrugated buying plans.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... (Diffusion index, less than 50 = falling, more than 50 = rising) [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Something's amiss among buyers of packing materials; The latest survey finds less-active purchasing activity. [down arrow] 3.2 Forward demand,...

Sales of cellular telephones will increase by 4% in 2004.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Sales of cellular telephones will increase by 4% in 2004, forecasts analyst Peter Rhamey at BMO Nesbitt Burns, but wireless product pricing "should remain stable." The magnitude of the late-2003/2004 purchasing rebound isn't yet clear, he says....

After growing 16% in 2003, global sales of chips in 2004 will swell by a further 19.5%.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... After growing 16% in 2003, global sales of chips in 2004 will swell by a further 19.5%, to $195 billion, forecasts the Semiconductor Industry Assn. Historically, SIA have been overly bullish. Unlike previous growth cycles, SIA says no single...

Job stress costs U.S. businesses an average $300 billion annually.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(International Commission on Occupational Health)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Job stress costs U.S. businesses an average $300 billion annually, says the International Commission on Occupational Health. Stress causes from illness, depression and work place violence, and is the main reason that 2004 will see the...

There was strong purchasing growth in 2003 for such storage devices as hard, optical and tape drives.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... There was strong purchasing growth in 2003 for such storage devices as hard, optical and tape drives. In fact, sales of hard disk drives of 254.3 million units were up 16.4% from 218.4 million units in 2002. The market will grow another 9.3% in...

U.S. production of plastic resin totaled 71.8 billion pounds through November.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... U.S. production of plastic resin totaled 71.8 billion pounds through November, a 1.8% decrease from the manufacture in the eleven months of 2002, reports the American Plastics Council. Meanwhile, year-to-date sales and captive use totaled 71.9...

Business telecommunications equipment buying may recover this year, or not.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... 2Business telecommunications equipment buying may recover this year, or not. Some market researchers are optimistically forecasting 5% growth for business telecom capital spending to $41.5 billion in 2004 from $39.5 billion in 2003 after three...

Web highlights.
March 4, 2004... * PURCHASING magazine presents the second annual Global Procurement Conference--an online conference designed to help you in all areas of strategic sourcing: the strategy... the technology. Sponsors include 3M, Ariba, Emptoris, ICG Commerce,...

The steel bubble will burst.(inside purchasing)(Steel products)
March 4, 2004... If you're a steel buyer, you know that prices are absolutely insane right now. If you buy products made from steel, like steel drums, brace yourself, you're in for a rude shock. Steel prices have been rising faster in the last few weeks than at...

Prices spike due to raw material shortfalls.(Steel Pricing)
March 4, 2004... Steel prices, especially flat-rolled prices, have exploded in the U.S., and 78% of steel buyers polled in February see further price hikes in coming months. For the first time in three decades, steel is selling priced at time of delivery....

Why tags continue to stay in the stratosphere.(Formaldehyde)
March 4, 2004... Purchasers of formaldehyde have not had to deal with any serious price increases for the past year. But those tags remain stubbornly high by historical standards (see chart). The situation, say industry sources, reflects the elevated costs of...

If buyers can get what they need, they're paying for it.(Grassroots Report)
March 4, 2004... Business has been improving for more than half of the buyers surveyed monthly since last autumn, but they say activity could have been even stronger lately if sufficient amounts of raw materials had been available. "Availability is an even...

Cleaning up after Covisint: sale leaves automotive industry portal users to chart their own course.(Automotive E-Commerce)
March 4, 2004... The news that Covisint had sold what was left of its business to Detroit software developer Compuware in February left users of the automotive industry portal with some decisions to make. The deal may not have surprised market watchers on the...

Study: OEM price cuts force more auto suppliers offshore.(Automotive Briefs)(Original Equipment Manufacturer)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... A new study of the automotive industry shows that OEM-mandated price cuts are forcing more tier suppliers to send production to low-cost regions. A survey by Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in conjunction with the Original Equipment...

Ford raises eyebrows with new contracts.(Automotive Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Changes to the language in supplier contracts at Ford Motor Co. have raised concern among suppliers. The language reportedly allows the OEM to change the terms of a contract before it expires and pushes up to 50% of the cost of recalls back to...

Ford VP speaks of paring down supply base, cutting costs in 2004.(Automotive Briefs)(Ford Motor Co.)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Suppliers in the automotive industry looking for relief from constant cost pressures will not be happy to hear what Ford's vice president of product creation in North America has to say. "The pressures of continual cost discussion are just a...

Strike averted! Union at U.K. Nissan plant calls off strike.(Automotive Briefs)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Unionized workers at a Nissan plant in the U.K have called off plans to strike over the relocation of its purchasing department (see PURCHASING, Feb. 5, 2004, page 14). The strike plan was revealed in December after Nissan failed to consult...

Writing effective contracts in the electronic age.(Murray's law)
March 4, 2004... One of the fundamental misconceptions about the law of contracts is the tendency to treat the contract as if it is the paper on which the terms are written. The contract is the abstract legal relationship between the parties to the contract....

Oshkosh Truck Corp. has named The Timken Co. its "Best Supplier.".(Kudos)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Oshkosh Truck Corp. has named The Timken Co. its "Best Supplier." The recognition honors Timken's excellent performance in delivery, quality and product support. Oshkosh manufactures specialty trucks and truck bodies for the fire and...

What's hot.(metals)(market for oil country tubular goods)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Future market conditions for pipe and tube products bought by the oil and gas sector "look very positive right now," according to Pamela Boone, vice president of finance and administration at Maverick Tube Corp. in Dallas. Crude oil has been...

Insiders expect drill tube, line pipe mart to reenergize.(Oil Country Tubulars)
March 4, 2004... Winter natural gas shortages and elevated crude oil prices have raised North American drilling activity, which should boost purchasing this year of line pipe and oil country tubular goods (OCTG). "The U.S. and Canadian oil patches are fairly...

Oregon Steel adds capacity; reopens LTV tubular plant.(Steel Tube)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Oregon Steel Mills has expanded supply of structural steel tube by operating the equipment of the former LTV Tubular Products facility in Portland. The facility, now known as Columbia Structural Tubing, is only a mile from Oregon Steel's main...

Staying alive in an uncertain tube market.(Metals Perspective)(Atlas Steel Products Co.)
March 4, 2004... Without question, the first years of the 21st Century have been a challenge for those in the metals market, in general, and in the tubing segment, in particular. A changing economic picture globally and a general manufacturing recession locally...

Phelps Dodge to restart idled N. American capacity.(Copper)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Phelps Dodge Corp. will be restarting closed capacity with a goal of boosting copper production by 11% this year and 17% in 2005 due to strong metal prices and an improving economy. The world's largest publicly traded copper producer made...

TMX Aerospace will manage the flow of subcontractor-made finished parts to Rolls-Royce Corp.'s engine plant in Indianapolis as part of a five-year logistics services contract.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... TMX Aerospace will manage the flow of subcontractor-made finished parts to Rolls-Royce Corp.'s engine plant in Indianapolis as part of a five-year logistics services contract. TMX Aerospace of Kent, Wash., a subsidiary of metals service center...

Rouge Steel of Dearborn, Mich., the fifth largest integrated steel producer in the U.S., is being renamed Severstal North America by the company's new parent, Severstal of Russia.(Metal Chips)
March 4, 2004... Rouge Steel of Dearborn, Mich., the fifth largest integrated steel producer in the U.S., is being renamed Severstal North America by the company's new parent, Severstal of Russia. Vadim Makhov, a fluent English speaker who is deputy general...

Nucor Corp. is spending $21 million to buy half interest in Harris Steel Inc., the second-largest independent producer of reinforcing bar products.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Nucor Corp. is spending $21 million to buy half interest in Harris Steel Inc., the second-largest independent producer of reinforcing bar products. "This venture is a downstream integration from our bar mills into a value-added process," says...

Copperweld Corp.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Copperweld Corp., the Pittsburgh-based steel tube and bimetallic products producer, has reorganized operations and has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings as a stand-alone company with Dennis McGlone as president and chief operating...

Excelsior Steel Processing Ltd.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Toronto-based Excelsior Steel Processing Ltd. has opened a new coil-to-coil polishing plant in Middletown, Ohio, which is designed to handle some of the largest stainless steel coils found in the U.S. market. Herr-Voss Stamco supplied equipment...

Ameristar Steel Co.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Ameristar Steel Co., Tulsa, has installed a 10,000-pound coil packaging line that can handle material with outer diameters up to 72 inches.

Walter Metals Corp.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Walter Metals Corp., Hudson, Ohio, has earned ISO 9000 certification for its processing and distribution services of hot-work and cold-work tool steels, and alloy steels in rounds, flats and sheet.

Altair Nanomaterials of Reno, Nev., has teamed up with Titanium Metals Corp. of Denver to develop a low-cost manufacturing process for titanium dioxide pellets that can be transformed into titanium metal.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Altair Nanomaterials of Reno, Nev., has teamed up with Titanium Metals Corp. of Denver to develop a low-cost manufacturing process for titanium dioxide pellets that can be transformed into titanium metal. Darpa, the Defense Advanced Research...

Rouge Steel.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Rouge Steel of Dearborn, Mich., now is owned by Severstal, Russia's second-largest steel-maker. Rouge Steel began producing steel in a small electric furnace in 1923, originally as a division of Ford Motor Co. It later became a blast furnace...

Base metals conglomerate Xstrata of Switzerland has merged its copper businesses into a single global copper business called Xstrata Copper based in Brisbane, Australia.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Base metals conglomerate Xstrata of Switzerland has merged its copper businesses into a single global copper business called Xstrata Copper based in Brisbane, Australia. Xstrata Copper mines, smelts and refines copper in Canada, Argentina,...

Quanex Corp. of Houston, has completed its $115-million purchase of North Star Steel Co.'s special bar quality (SBQ) mill in Monroe, Mich.(Metal Chips)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... Quanex Corp. of Houston, has completed its $115-million purchase of North Star Steel Co.'s special bar quality (SBQ) mill in Monroe, Mich. The mini-mill facility can produce 500,000 tons/year and has been integrated into Quanex's Macsteel...

Purchasing awakens from lengthy slumber: but, the domestic steel pipe and tube market is expected to remain sluggish for a while.
March 4, 2004... Momentum toward recovery in industrial demand for steel pipe and tube is starting to materialize, say buyers noting the recent 20% lengthening in delivery leadtimes. Suppliers are hopeful that 2004 will reverse the market slide that began in...

Buyers' guide.(steel pipe & tube)(Directory)
March 4, 2004... These are companies that produce steel tubulars, active members of the Steel Tube Institute of North America (www.steel tubeinstitute.org). For a larger database of companies that make or distribute industrial-grade steel pipe and tube...

Buyers angry at suppliers, prices.(Exclusive Business Data)
March 4, 2004... Costs of raw materials are rising much faster than end-product prices, and obtaining sufficient quantities is becoming difficult. Seventy-five percent of the metals buyers polled in February report higher prices compared to January. In fact,...

Advanced partnering: a term often considered over used, partnerships between purchasing and distributors do exist--and are successful.(MRO report)
March 4, 2004... In PURCHASING magazine's January and February issues, MRO/Distribution News looked at ways sourcing operations can impact their companies' bottom lines by measuring and documenting value-added savings and how a manufacturer supplier created a...

Six-sigma KOs costs: when it comes to defects, intolerance is good.(supply chain performance)
March 4, 2004... It's impossible, these days, to have a conversation about supplier performance measurement without hearing the words Six-Sigma bandied about. Very often, however, the phrase is used only in its narrowest sense, as in: "Our goal is for...

What's hot.(logistics)(Brief Article)
March 4, 2004... More and more shippers are learning the value of optimized logistics. It was a theme at the Conference Board's 2003 Logistics Conference in January. Vince Hartnett, president of Penske Logistics, cited a recent survey that found that two-thirds...

Improved shipment visibility produces inventory savings.(Track And Trace Technology)
March 4, 2004... Shippers looking for the "killer app" in the track and trace technology market may be sorely disappointed. The wide variety of technology options available today for tracking shipments across various modes means each purchasing and logistics...

Become world class in supply management.(Global procurement conference: April 20-21,2004)
March 4, 2004... Never before have purchasing professionals had so much control and influence over corporate spending. Never before have their jobs been fraught with so much change, risk, or so many technology options. PURCHASING'S Global Procurement Conference...

High-quality products lead in lower total cost.(Safety And Health Equipment)
March 4, 2004... When it comes to computers and other high-tech equipment, buyers expect to hear about new products on a regular basis. After all, with advances in technology, what's state-of-the-art today can be out of date in three months. When it comes to...

Key supplier web-site locator.(ACC104A laboratory accelerometer)(Directory)
March 4, 2004... ACCELEROMETERS--LOW MASS LABORATORY Omega Engineering, Inc. www.omega.com One Omega Drive, Stamford, CT 0690? Phone: 800-826-6342 Fax: 302-359-7700 info@omega.com OMEGA's model ACC104A laboratory accelerometer is...

Purchasingdata.com's Electronics Business Indicator.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... The Electronics Business Indicator dipped in February, but business remained strong. look for the indicator to rise in the second quarter. DOWN 2.5 [GRAPHIC OMITTED]

Electronics outlook stays strong.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... Most electronics indicators are healthy. The forward demand indicator registered a solid 83.6. Electronic outlook stays strong Electronics-consuming companies Up Down Same Index * Trend Business...

The Semiconductor Industry Association wants the Chinese government to withdraw.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * The Semiconductor Industry Association wants the Chinese government to withdraw its proprietary standard for national wireless local-area network (LAN), set to become effective June 1. The requirement would prohibit the use of non-Chinese...

Forget Intel Inside. Think Intel Everywhere. Under CEO Craig Barrett's plan.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Forget Intel Inside. Think Intel Everywhere. Under CEO Craig Barrett's plan, Intel's powerful lineup of microchips would be the guts of nearly every type of digital device on the planet--from cellular phones to flat-panel televisions, from...

Half of companies use spend management analysis only sometimes and 14% use it infrequently or not at all.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Half of companies use spend management analysis only sometimes and 14% use it infrequently or not at all, according to a survey by Capital Consulting & Management of 400 purchasing managers. The survey finds most purchasing organizations...

Soaring prices for steel threaten the solvency of key contractors.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Soaring prices for steel threaten the solvency of key contractors, says Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America. "Steel price increases have been sudden, steep, and devastating," Simonson says. "The cost...

Software is the engine that makes the information technology industry run.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Software is the engine that makes the information technology industry run, so developers need to adapt in coming years as the world of computer science changes, says Bill Gates, chief software architect at Microsoft Corp. In a recent speech...

Expect reinvigorated antitrust enforcement in the telecommunications sector.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Expect reinvigorated antitrust enforcement in the telecommunications sector, where companies may need referees to maintain competition and innovation. Increasingly, traditional telephone companies are competing with cable, wireless and...

Purchasingdata.com's wirewound resistors 30-day price expectations.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... Expect prices for wirewound resistors to increase. Many buyers believe tags will rise as demand increases later in the year. [GRAPHIC OMITTED]

Electronics buyers' 30-day price expectrations.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Illustration)
March 18, 2004... Besides wirewound resistors, buyers expect to pay higher prices for ceramic chip capacitors, 32 megabit flash, and tantalum chip capacitors. Electronics buyers' 30-day price expectations UP DOWN...

Expect digital signal processor (DSP) tags to be volatile.(prices)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... Expect digital signal processor (DSP) tags to be volatile this year. The good news for buyers is that the average price will fall from about $5.97 at the beginning of the year to $5.69 at year end. According to market researcher IC Insights,...

Purchasingdata.com says sodium chlorate recently slipped to $412/ton.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Purchasingdata.com says sodium chlorate recently slipped to $412/ton after months at $415, but analyst Gerry Hannochko at Canaccord Capital Corp. believes improved demand will boost prices 3% this year. He also forecasts "little price...

Corporate travel managers expect hotel prices and airfares to remain flat.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Corporate travel managers expect hotel prices and airfares to remain flat during 2004, which should help rekindle business travel. Nearly three in four participants in the survey by the National Business Travel Association believe that...

Chief executive Jan Johansson of Boliden.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Chief executive Jan Johansson of Boliden, the European mining and smelting company, expects base metals prices to rise as world inventories are running low and demand continues to grow. "Copper inventories are beginning to be very low...

Alternative plastic materials "are becoming more attractive.(prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Alternative plastic materials "are becoming more attractive as copper alloy part prices keep climbing," says Joseph Gartland, vice president of H.M. Hillman Brass & Copper. The world copper price was 81> last year, but has risen to an average...

The European Union is investigating chipmakers.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips )(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * The European Union is investigating chipmakers for price-fixing of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips for computers and other electronic devices. European regulators are probing allegations that the world's biggest computer memory chip...

Purchasingdta.com's electronics forward demand indicator.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... Electronics buyers expect to boost their purchase orders with suppliers over the next 90 days. The Forward Demand Indicator registered 83.6, a sign that end equipment demand is rising. DOWN 1.9 [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Most of the...

Tracking the high-tech economy.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Illustration)
March 18, 2004... Tracking the high-tech economy LATEST PREVIOUS YEAR % CHG/ INDICATOR PERIOD PERIOD PERIOD AGO YR AGO Real GDP (B'96$, Q4 Prelim 10599.2 10493.1 10160.8...

Most major indicators continue to signal a strong manufacturing recovery.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)
March 18, 2004... * Most major indicators continue to signal a strong manufacturing recovery. PURCHASING'S own Business Activity Index held strong at 67.8 in February (where 50 is the dividing line between expansion and contraction). Manufacturers' advance...

Add plastic resins to the list of commodity groups where price inflation pressure is now rated as strong.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Add plastic resins to the list of commodity groups where price inflation pressure is now rated as strong. Latest breakdown for the 17 major commodity categories tracked monthly by Purchasingdata.com: strong upward price pressure reported by...

Don't count on big pay raises in 2004.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Don't count on big pay raises in 2004. "A relatively weak labor market will continue to restrain growth in private sector wages at least through mid-summer 2004," according to the latest Wage Trend Indicator report from BNA Inc. What it...

Expect another boost for consumer spending despite weak jobs growth.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Expect another boost for consumer spending despite weak jobs growth. After rising through September of last year, home mortgage rates have been on a downward drift, failing just far enough to inspire a new round of refinancing activity. If...

The semiconductor equipment market will experience "extremely robust growth" of 55% in 2004.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * The semiconductor equipment market will experience "extremely robust growth" of 55% in 2004, says analyst Rosa Luis at Advanced Forecasting. "The semiconductor equipment market is coming from such a low bottom, due to reduced capital...

Business travelers read and write an endless stream of electronic memos.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Business travelers read and write an endless stream of electronic memos, letters and documents, but printing copies on the road often has been a challenge. That is changing because of new software being installed in hotels, airport business...

Merrill Lynch analysts have increased the brokerage's 2004 personal computer growth forecast to 13%.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
March 18, 2004... * Merrill Lynch analysts have increased the brokerage's 2004 personal computer growth forecast to 13% from 11%, "based on a decent consumer showing and an improving corporate market." Global PC shipments grew 11% in 2003, boosted by strong...