An end-of-year boost in U.S. manufacturing along with a strong interest among companies to reinvest in production and expand into new markets is steering the Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) toward a positive outlook in 2012.
“More plant managers, operations directors and other business leaders are turning to CSIA members for project assessment and implementation,” says Robert Lowe, CSIA executive director, an internationally focused professional association for control system integration companies. “Many customers of CSIA members are investing in automation to ensure their manufacturing systems are at peak capacity. They are looking to CSIA members for technology solutions to grow, or in some cases, just to run a more efficient operation.”
According to the Institute of Supply Management, U.S. manufacturing has been on the upswing each month for the past two-and-a-half years. Production, employment and orders for new goods surpassed expectations in December 2011. Manufacturing in 2012 might gain a modest 3% this year and business expansion in emerging economies is also encouraging for CSIA members and partners.
Source: Control System Integrators Assn.
