03/11/2013

January FPDA Index Up 18 Points from December

FPDA Economic Indicators Report shows strong January for fluid power

The February report, based on January data, was recently released to participants. Read the full report: FPDA Membership Survey Results - February 2013.

Here are the highlights:

FPDA Index – The January FPDA Index produced a reading of 63.9, up from December's reading of 46.2. This indicates the fluid power industry grew in January after declining in the prior two months. The broader ISM index showed a reading of 53.1 in January, up from the December reading 50.2. 

Sales Growth Turns Positive – Sales growth among fluid power distributors and manufacturer’s grew 4% on average in January, up from the (5%) decline reported in December. Distributors and manufacturers both saw growth; with distributors up 1% vs. down (2%) in December, and manufacturers up 7% vs. down (8%) in December. 

2013 Outlook Slightly Lower – Distributors are forecasting growth of 4% and manufacturers are forecasting growth of 3% for 2013; this is down slightly from our December survey. This follows average growth of 8% for 2012.