What's that Down the Road? A Head?

摘要

With props to the old Red Skelton bit referenced in the headline, this is the question that manufacturers are now asking about 2010. The 2009 recession has been replaced by the 2010 recovery, but thus far it is hard to tell one from the other. If this is the year of recovery, what will that mean? How will this coming year be judged? Against the miserable performances of 2008-2009 or by the boom years that preceded them? In some respects, both will serve as reference points. The four main factors that will affect decision making in the coming year will be familiar to anyone in manufacturing as these are always the elements to which companies must adjust. The first is credit and its availability. The second is the emergence of an inflationary spiral that affects commodities like steel and oil. The third is whether demand factors will recover in time to promote production. And the fourth is the impact of various governmental programs and efforts.