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John’s Blog
8-23-10
Dear Friends,
The economy continues to sluggishly
move forward with positive numbers.
The Labor Department says prices paid
to US producers rose 0.2% in July, the first increase in four months.
The Producer Price Index went up 0.3% if one excludes food and
energy.
The Conference Board released their
Leading Economic Index showing a 0.1% increase in July. They say
that while the industrial industries are slowing their pace of
rebuilding inventories, one should expect a slow expansion for the
rest of 2010.
The Federal Reserve reported industrial
production increased 0.1% in July with factory output up by 1.1% led
by the auto industry. The Fed also said that the share of industrial
capacity in use went up to 74.8% in July from 74.1% in June. The
output of autos and parts were the real news with an increase of
9.9%.
Other positive news is that housing
starts grew 1.7% in July according to the Commerce Department. The
counter-point is that building permits fell 3.1% so this area of the
economy is still trying to find a sustainable recovery track.
Trucking did it its part in helping
unemployment by adding 5,900 jobs in July. Private sector jobs
increased by 71,000 with 36,000 of these new jobs in manufacturing.
The Department of Transportation
released their June freight transportation services index showing a
year over year improvement of 4.1%.
The Association of American Railroads
reported that US rails originated 233,767 intermodal
containers/trailers with a record number of containers at 199,859
units. Containers continue strong while trailers are moderating.
At Wagner we have enjoyed a good summer
of activity making a lot of operational improvements to increase
productivity and quality. As always, if you have a logistical
challenge or new distribution opportunities don’t hesitate to reach
out and talk to us.
With Wagner’s extensive experience in
distribution center operations, fulfillment and transportation you
will find Wagner to be a capable partner.
Have a great week!
John Wagner Jr
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