Most Manufacturers Expect to Continue Growing, Greening This Year

Nearly 70 % of manufacturers expect their businesses to grown by the end of this year according to a just-released survey by Thomas.Net. 25% say they expect their business to stay the same, and only 5% expect their businesses to decline.

ThomasNet.com’s Industry Market Barometer^® (IMB) is an annual survey of buyers and sellers of products and services in the industrial market. Respondents are engineers and purchasing agents, business owners and managers, and sales and marketing executives from manufacturers, distributors and service companies.

The majority of the 3,766 North American professionals who responded represent small companies (fewer than 100 employees and less than $10 million in revenue), mirroring the makeup of the industrial/manufacturing segment, Thomas.Net said.

Buoyed by growth and confident in their futures, American manufacturers are laying out an agenda for restoring their industry to its earlier glory.

Overwhelmingly, they are pushing to revitalize the American manufacturing sector by creating jobs at home, doing business with U.S. suppliers, and expressing pride in the quality of products that are “Made in America,” the survey report continued.

46% of manufacturers reported that they grew in 2011.

Optimism for growth in manufacturing and reshoring intentions signals prosperity for a sector that has taken its licks. It’s good news for green, too.

Most manufacturers expect to continue greening their plants and operations, primarily to satisfy customer demands to do so. More growth means they’ll have the greenbacks to make some wise, long-term investments in green energy, energy-efficiency, and natural resource conservation efforts that pay off in long run.