EBCI for North American business conditions declines in September

By Plant Engineering Staff September 29, 2006

On the heels of an extraordinarily strong burst of activity over the last 12 to 15 months, current North American business conditions declined for a second straight month in September, according to NEMA’s Electroindustry Business Confidence Index (EBCI).s from a month ago to 26. September EBCI indicators for each of the other three world regions included in the survey pointed to both current and continued growth. 

The recent deterioration of the North American index should be viewed in the context of a heretofore booming electroindustry, NEMA said.. electrical equipment manufacturing sector of close to 94 percent by late summer 2006, the highest in more than 30 years. U.S. shipments of electrical equipment averaged nearly 12 percent growth during the 12-month period that ended in July.  According to the NEMA report, “It is not surprising such dramatic growth would eventually wane and that the EBCI would reflect a more cautious assessment of business conditions by NEMA-member executives.”