More than half of the small manufacturers responding to an operating survey from the National Association of Manufacturers expect their sales to grow more than 5 percent this year. Similarly, 41 percent of survey respondents expect they will increase capital investment in 2006 by more than 5 percent.
More than half of the small manufacturers responding to an operating survey from the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM, Washington) expect their sales to grow more than 5 percent this year. Similarly, 41 percent of survey respondents expect they will increase capital investment in 2006 by more than 5 percent. "This is the most optimistic outlook in 8 years," says David Huether, NAM's chief economist. "These are positive figures that point to increased capital spending and job growth." This also agrees nicely with the results of ASSEMBLY magazine's 11th Annual Capital Spending Study, which forecasts a 3.6 percent increase in capital spending by manufacturers in 2007. You can read the report beginning on page 26 in this issue.