Herman Trend Alert: Manufacturers Being Squeezed
(Akron/Tire Review) In the United States and elsewhere, structural (non-wage) costs for manufacturers, as a percentage of the total costs, are continuing to rise. According to a study released in September by the U.S. National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), The Manufacturing Institute and the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI, structural costs increased from 22.4% to 31.7% of the total costs, compared to similar costs for similar companies in nine trading partner countries in 2003. “(This) sharp rise in these non-wage costs represents a significant and long-term problem for our nation’s manufacturers and America’s economy,” said John Engler, president of the NAM.