FIN SURVEY

Nearly six in 10 fastener companies reported stable prices in 2009, while 19.5% said prices fell an average of 14% during the year.

Just over 20% of FIN Survey respondents achieved price increases last year, with the average increase reaching 9.4%. Those results starkly contrast with figures from 2008, when more than 85% of fastener companies raised prices at an average rate of 13%.

More than 60% of fastener companies intend to keep prices at current levels during the first six months of 2010, while 34% plan prices increases at an average rate of 8.6%.

Among distributors, 36% reported price hikes in 2009, with an average rate of 10%. Just over 50% of distributors kept prices unchanged.

More than 67% of manufacturers reported stable pricing last year, while 17.5% cut prices an average of 9%. About 3% of manufacturers achieved price gains in 2009, at an average of 8%. Among importers, roughly 16% managed to raise prices by about 3-5%, while 25.2% cut prices an average of 17.4%. ©2010 GlobalFastenerNews.com