With that increase comes a higher demand in home appliances. Meanwhile, the National Association of Home Builders is projecting single-family home production to increase 27 percent in 2016, after an increase of 11 percent in 2015. Cheap food also has opened up opportunities in sectors like food processing. Moreover, some fabricators report that sales of recreational vehicles and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are up. Indeed, the growth in automotive and other sectors may be large enough to spur a modest increase in steel prices, according to the World Steel Association’s short-range outlook. auto sales for 2016 at 17.3 million units, up from 17 million in 2015. The fact that gas has fallen in price has been a tonic to the industry.”Īccording to an August report from WardsAuto, North American light-vehicle production is set to exceed 20 million vehicles for the first time, and sales are forecast to continue their upward march. As Kuehl wrote in November in FMA’s “Fabrinomics” e-newsletter, “The consumer is not engaged, at least not to the extent that would be preferred … Still, the consumer may be cutting back on a lot of things, but cars and trucks would not be in that list. Although consumption isn’t in high gear, it’s not pulling everything down either. Construction has slid globally and in the states, the OEMs built up a bit too much inventory, so their supplies overshot demand.Īt the same time, cheap food and fuel have put more money in consumers’ pockets. China’s voracious appetite for raw materials isn’t what it was. Meanwhile, bumper crops have pushed down our grocery bills along with the sales of agriculture equipment. “But we’re a long way from another boom.” “This may start to change, though,” he said, adding that per-barrel oil prices may rise next year. “To protect market share, none of the major producers have elected to cut back,” said Chris Kuehl, economic analyst for the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International (FMA). We’ve got more oil and natural gas produced stateside than ever before, and global demand isn’t sky-high. Saudi Arabia hasn’t turned down the taps. “But just 45 days later, that was all snuffed out.” “Our customer was expecting to grow their business 20 to 25 percent per quarter,” Grand-Lienard said. (SPM), a custom fabricator in Rockwell, Texas, rather bullish for 2015. That letter helped make the president of Special Products & Mfg. Rob Grand-Lienard remembers a letter he received from a major oil and gas customer in early December 2014, promising good times ahead.

Robotize fast food 2015