Moldmaking Activity Contraction Slows in August

The Gardner Business Index (GBI) is an indicator of the current state of moldmaking considering survey responses regarding new orders, production, backlog, employment, exports and supplier deliveries. Over 50 is expansion. Under 50 is contraction.

The August GBI shows the moldmaking market is still contracting overall but a bit slower than the previous month, up almost one point from a fall of more than five points four months ago. Future business outlook is improving but slower than last month’s numbers. Overall most measures have slowed or stayed the same, other than production which is up slightly from last month.

New orders, employment, exports and supplier delivery accelerated contraction from the previous month, driving the overall index decline.

Employment accelerated contraction after a slight uptick the previous three months, down this month by two points and material prices rose nearly half a point, while prices received dropped more than 1.5 points.

Scorecard

The Gardner Business Index (GBI) Components Scorecard reports the monthly change rate of primary composites market factors contributing to the overall monthly index reading.

Reading the Scorecard
Color indicates where a component value falls relative to 50 for the current month. Green indicates expansion; red indicates contraction.

Shade indicates a value’s distance from 50; the darker the shade, the further from 50.

Direction indicates a value’s change versus the previous time period. Pointing up is always better.

Future Business

The GBI Future Business Index is an indicator of the future state of the moldmaking market considering industry respondents regarding their opinion of future business conditions for the next 12 months. Over 50 is expansion and under 50 is contraction.

The index remained positive but shows continued contraction indicating slower future growth expectations.

Find the latest moldmaking market research and reporting at GardnerIntelligence.com.