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- July 16, 2015 -

 
       
   

Supply Chain Graphic of the Week: US Manufacturing Recovery by Sector

 

While Overall US Output is Back over 2007 Peak, There are Big Winners and Losers Across Different Industries

 
       
   

By SCDigest Editorial Staff

 
   

 

Overall, US manufacturing again reached its peak manufacturing levels achieved in 2007 in July of 2014, when the manufacturing output index as measured by the Federal Reserve at last reached the 100 level that equals the monthly average for that peak and baseline year of 2007.

Since then, that index number has basically flatlined, hovering in a narrow band around 101, scores that mean that manufacturing output for a given month is about 1% above average 2007 levels (the index was 101.7 in June). That being the case, any even modest manufacturing slow down could easily again drop the index below that 100 mark eight years later.

 

Of course, however, the overall score of around 101 masks major disparities across different manufacturing sectors.

 

As we do every six months, SCDigest took a look at the scores in June for select manufacturing industries, numbers which compare the output in June for those sectors against their average 2007 production levels, ranked from highest index score to lowest, as shown in the chart below.

 

In other words, production of heavy duty trucks in June was up 77.2% from the average for that sector in 2007 - an impressive gain that would be even larger if measured from the bottom in June 2009.

 

US Output from Select Industries in June Versus 2007 Average Score for that Sector

 

Sector June Score
Semiconductors and Equipment 307.8
Heavy Duty Trucks 177.2
Railroad Rolling Stock 159.8
Computers and Electronics 155.3
Medical Equipment/Supplies 125.3
Motor Vehicles and Parts 117.8
Ship and Boat Buidling 115.6
Machinery  112.2
Food 108.2
Consumer Durables 106.9
Aerospace Products 106.9
Metals 101.6
Plastic and Rubber Products 101.6
Consumer Goods 99.2
Paperboard 97.7
Chemicals 93.2
Foundries 91.8
Communications Equipment 91.2
Pharma and Medicine 85.6
Household Appliances 83.6
Paper 82.9
Industrial Gas 81.6
Furniture 78.7
Computers Only 72.0
Hardware 67.6
Textiles 62.5
Apparel and Leather Products 61.0

 


As can be seen, the fortunes of different sectors have fared quite differently over time. While the semiconductor industry in the US has seen output soar some 207% since 2007 (lots of computer and cell phone chips still produced in the US), sectors such as apparel, hardware, and furniture have continued to see sharp output declines versus 2007.

 

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