The Power Transmission Distributors Association Business Index reading for the second quarter was 69.8, up from the first-quarter reading of 69.3, indicating slow growth. The index remained higher than the July 2017 PMI Index of 56.3, which suggests expanding business activity for PTDA members.
The PTDA Manufacturer Index declined to 68.7 in the second quarter, from 70.2 in 1Q2017. However, this index is still above the 50 ISM PMI.
The index reading indicates the rate of change compared with the previous period. Readings above 50 indicate growth and below 50 indicate contraction. The further the index is above or below 50 suggests a faster or slower rate of change.
The entire 2Q2017 PTDA Business Index report can be found here. It includes distributor and manufacturer breakout data in addition to historical data.
PTDA also released its first quarter 2017 Sales History & Outlook Report, which showed power transmission/motion control distributor sales began to rise. The most recent 12 months of sales remain 1.9 percent below the year-ago level, but several positive indicators suggest total sales will be above the year-ago level in the coming months. The 1Q2017 SHOR, which also includes manufacturer sales, can be found at ptda.org/SHOR.
