John Wolz

Fastener Prices More than 62% of fastener companies plan average price increases of 5.5% in the next six months, while another 20% remain undecided.
Raw Material Prices – Nearly 60% of manufacturers anticipate raw material prices rising during 2007.
Sales Nearly 70% of respondents forecast sales growth in 2007.
Profits A healthy 65.6% of fastener firms predict average profit increases of 9%.
Costs Less than half of fastener companies anticipate “modest” cost increases in 2007.
Employment – Nearly 28% of companies plan to add more workers in 2007, while 62.3% intend to operate with their current workforce.
Capital Investment – A 41% majority of companies plan to keep capital spending stable in 2007, with about 36% planning additional investment.
Pay Raises About 60% of respondents plan to boost pay in 2007 at an average of 3.2%, leaving almost 40% undecided.
Operating Capacity Fastener manufacturers expect to operate at a higher capacity in 2007. \ �2007 FastenerNews.com