State of the North American PM industry - 2006

In 2006 the PM industry in North America faces challenges on many-fronts. PM's major market, the automotive industry, is undergoing unprecedented structural changes. Zooming commodity prices, coupled with rising energy and transportation costs, are playing havoc with the bottom line of almost every company in the industry. Globalization and the flattening of the global supply base, along with the rise of China as a serious competitor are all testing the fortitude and strategic decision making of industry executives. Despite the challenges, the PM industry still has a positive future. The basics of our industry and technology remain strong and positive. We continue to push the edge of PM's capabilities to compete with wrought products. At our best, we are the low-cost producer of precision, I high-performance products and materials. It is safe to claim that no other metalworking process can match PM's competitive advantages. But are we promoting that enough?