With the possible exception of medical device manufacturing, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted manufacturing in every industry last year. Wire harness manufacturing was no exception. With both automotive and aerospace manufacturing depressed, harness assemblers struggled.
Fortunately, 2021 should be considerably better. “We see growth picking up in the middle quarters of the year, part of which will be driven by [stimulus spending by the federal government],” says Shawn DuBravac, Ph.D., chief economist for IPC and the Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA). “We expect GDP [gross domestic product] to grow approximately 4.9 percent in 2021 and 3.8 percent in 2022.”