New NAM Data Reflects Ongoing Manufacturing Slowdown According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the latest economic indicators continue to show broad weakness across the manufacturing sector, even as the overall labor market exhibits modest strength. Manufacturing employment fell by 6,000 in Septem- ber, marking the fifth straight month of job losses. Over the past year, manufacturing employment is down 94,000, the steepest decline of any major industry. Meanwhile, to- tal nonfarm payrolls increased by 119,000, surpassing ex- pectations. The unemployment rate rose 0.1 percent to 4.4 percent, and labor force participation ticked up 0.1 percent to 62.4 percent. Although the broader labor market showed some mo- mentum, the trend for manufacturing remains decisively weaker. Real wage growth also stalled. Real average hourly earnings for all employees were unchanged in Septem- ber, a result of 0.2 percent nominal wage growth paired with 0.3 percent inflation. Over the past year, real wages increased just 0.8 percent. For production and nonsuper- visory employees, real hourly earnings fell 0.1 percent in September but remain up 0.8 percent year over year.
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
SAUER SYSTEM www.sauersystem.com
Sauer provides intelligent solutions for scoring, slitting, slit-scoring, and perforating on corrugators and floor slitters; and glue tab cutting, creasing, slotting, trimming and scrap chopping on presses. New, featured offerings include FRX Adjustable Folding Rail System and G3 Scoring System: the latest proven creasing technology on the market.
STAFFORD GROUP www.go2stafford.com
Interactive website for Stafford Corrugated Products and Stafford Cutting Dies. Featuring online ordering of replace- ment parts. Also, visitors can automatically calculate sheet size for most die-cut standards.
SUN AUTOMATION GROUP ® www.sunautomation.com
SUN Automation Group is the global leader in providing innovative solutions to the corrugated industry. SUN engi- neers and builds the SUN625 Rotary Die Cutter, provides sales, service and support in North and Central America for Latitude Machinery Corporation, manufacturer of Mini to Jumbo FFG and RDCs. Additionally, SUN is the North Amer- ican, UK and Ireland sales and service provider for Para Machinery’s line of equipment, and is the North American sales provider for Highcon. SUN also powers the corrugat- ed industry’s premier IIoT platform, Helios, and is the OEM source for Langston/Staley equipment parts and service. THACKER INDUSTRIAL SERVICE COMPANY www.thackerindustrial.com Specializing in corrugated machinery, T.I.S.CO. offers quali- ty-made products, support services, and more. T.I.S.CO. has a reputation of dependability, not only in the product, but in service and support. With more than 25 years’ experience, T.I.S.CO. installs equipment and machinery, moves or sets up entire plants, rewires and rebuilds - all over the world. VT GROUP www.vtgrouponline.com VT offers prepress services for the POP display and corru- gated shipping container industry including graphic design, optimized digitally imaged printing plates and innovative pre-mounting solutions. Our large-format digital printing fa- cility (Digital Impact) is a leading short-run manufacturer of distinctive POP displays and signage where litho-like graph-
As manufacturing softens, wage gains for frontline workers—once stronger than average—have slowed, and inflation continues to erode real earnings across indus- tries. On the production side, the S&P Global Flash U.S. Man- ufacturing PMI signaled mild expansion but showed clear signs of cooling. The index fell from 52.5 in September to 51.9 in November, a four-month low, though still above the 50 threshold indicating growth. Factory production and new orders both weakened in November, with contract- ing export orders—now down for the fifth straight month— adding pressure. Because flash PMI data reflect roughly 85 percent of survey responses, they serve as an early view of shifting conditions. Slowing new orders and rising inventories sug- gest that production gains could taper further if demand does not improve.
ics are preferred. WPR SERVICES www.wprservices.net
WPR Services was established in 2016. What originally start- ed as a technical services company expanded its product offerings to include a machine center learning platform POWtalk™. Our analysis of video, audio, machine metrics, employee ergometrics, and person to person conversation provides a way to identify safety and process inefficiencies.
36
December 1, 2025
www.boardconvertingnews.com
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease