John Wolz

More than seven out of 10 fastener companies reported steady sales gains in 2006, while 47.5% also enjoyed growing profits.
The FIN Sales Index dropped to 3.8, in line with the sales level during most of the 1990s. Over 79% of distributors saw revenue increases in 2006, while 55.6% of manufacturers reported sales growth.
Less than 17% of respondents reported that sales remained stable, while 13.1% of fastener companies saw revenue decline in 2006.
The FIN Profit Index slipped to 3.3 as more than 24% of fastener firms saw their margins flatline and 26.3% of companies reported profit decreases. More than 44% of manufacturers reported profit gains in 2006, while nearly 52% of distributors said their bottom line expanded. More than 30% of distributors saw no profit growth.
A majority of the fastener industry expressed optimism about 2007, with 68.9% expecting sales gains and 65.6% of fastener businesses anticipating profit growth.
About 69% of distributors expect sales to grow this year, compared with 77.8% of manufacturers. Likewise 62.1% of distributors foresee profit increases, compared with 70.4% of fastener makers.

\ �2007 FastenerNews.com