NEW YORK—Fifty-five percent of industrial buyers are increasing purchasing this year compared with last year according to the Industrial Purchasing Barometer Survey by Thomas Register.

The survey was conducted randomly among Thomas Register’s pool of 760,000 opt-in online users. Respondents from the manufacturing and engineering industries, wholesale trade, distribution and government buyers participated in the survey. The survey asked them to compare their business purchasing this year vs. last year.

"While the majority of industrial buyers are increasing purchasing this year, a significant number are cutting back, reflecting the somewhat anemic recovery we are experiencing," says Ruth Hurd, publisher of Thomas Register.