From the fabricator: The rough waters

Two forecasts came out last week with frustrating results. The monthly ABI was up two points but still weak, and the analysts there continue to worry about the volatility in the marketplace. The other forecast I saw was the Producer Price Index, and that was pretty depressing. The numbers of course were low, but the commentary was downright frightening. Check out this line:

"Public construction, once the bright spot of the industry, is petering out, and we are hopeful that the stimulus money allotted by Congress for infrastructure will be spent soon and help stem the tide. Virtually all of the sectors of commercial construction are down, and represent a cumulative 15 percent decrease."

Ouch. That is simply not fun. The "stimulus" money is supposedly still out there, and I know a lot of folks hanging their hats on that to help ride this out. In any case, and no matter the report you read, these are challenging times and the companies that handle these times the best, will be the horses when it turns... and I still believe the turn is coming.... 

Read more...

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors. Write Perilstein at maxbcat@aol.com.