Page 49 - MetalForming April 2016

Competition is at a whole new level, but the steadily rising market will support those who best take advantage of opportunities through new capacity and new technology.
BY LOUIS A. KREN, SENIOR EDITOR
The past decade has been rocky to landscape, it’s left in many a void of true
say the least for the automotive
industry, domestically and abroad. Certainly, better days have arrived and should continue, with those OEMS and suppliers able to up capacity and differentiate themselves via emerging technologies most likely to reap the benefits.
To recap the ugliness of yesteryear: By December 2008, U.S. auto sales from all carmakers fell 37 percent from the year prior. General Motors and Chrysler fared the worst, with Ford’s drop simi- lar to those by Honda and Toyota.
The sales decrease directly resulted in a GDP drop of greater than one per- cent. According to the Dept. of Labor, in April of 2006 automobile and relat- ed parts manufacturing had employed 1.1 million workers. By June 2009, that number had fallen to 624,000.
Most of us were neck deep in that crisis. Automotive has turned around, but many in the industry do not see it as solid. Though the recent past has reshaped the auto-manufacturing
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optimism. But what do the numbers tell us? Will the industry continue to solidify and progress upward? In a word, yes.
IHS Automotive, headquarted in Englewood, CO, recently provided analysis to the Precision Metalform- ing Association, MetalForming maga- zine and the metalforming industry via its 2016 Automotive Industry Out- look: Navigating the Water with an Eye on the Horizon. There is reason for continued optimism, reasons author Mike Wall, IHS director of automotive analysis.
Worldwide Economic Outlook: Modest Pickup Ahead
Though the general world econo- my is expected to remain in low gear with only a modest pickup through 2016, automotive continues to rebound around the globe. Regionally, China’s economy will continue to slow this year due to imbalances in credit, housing and industrial markets. In Europe,
Automotive
Automotive
Outlook–
Outlook–
Steady as She Goes
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Co.