Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in February for the third consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 45th consecutive month, according to the latest Manufacturing Report on Business from the Institute for Supply Management.

Free DVD: Upgrade Today! MDM Premium provides in-depth research and analysis for distribution executives. Subscribe today & we'll send you Top 10 Trends in Distribution, free! Learn more or subscribe now.

Already a subscriber? Renew & we'll send you the DVD.

The report was issued today by Bradley J. Holcomb, CPSM, CPSD, chair of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee. "The PMI registered 54.2 percent, an increase of 1.1 percentage points from January's reading of 53.1 percent, indicating expansion in manufacturing for the third consecutive month. This month's reading reflects the highest PMI since June 2011, when the index registered 55.8 percent.

"The New Orders Index registered 57.8 percent, an increase of 4.5 percent over January's reading of 53.3 percent, indicating growth in new orders for the second consecutive month. As was the case in January, all five of the PMI's component indexes – new orders, production, employment, supplier deliveries and inventories – registered in positive territory in February. In addition, the Backlog of Orders, Exports and Imports Indexes all grew in February relative to January."

Of the 18 manufacturing industries, 15 are reporting growth in February in the following order: Apparel, Leather & Allied Products; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Paper Products; Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Plastics & Rubber Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Furniture & Related Products; Petroleum & Coal Products; Wood Products; Printing & Related Support Activities; Transportation Equipment; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Machinery; and Primary Metals. The three industries reporting contraction in February are: Textile Mills; Computer & Electronic Products; and Chemical Products.

For more details, including survey participant responses, visit www.ism.ws.