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.