According to the March 2015 Precision Metalforming Association (PMA) Business Conditions Report, North American metalforming companies expect steady business conditions during the next three months. The report shows that 35% of participants predict that economic activity will improve during the next three months (up from 33% in February), 58% expect that activity will remain unchanged (compared to 59% last month) and 7% believe that economic activity will decline (down from 8% in February). Metalforming companies also anticipate little change in incoming orders during the next three months, with 43% predicting an increase in orders (down from 44% in February), 47% anticipating no change (compared to 48% in February) and 10% expecting a decrease in orders (up from 8% in February). Current average daily shipping levels also remained steady in March. Forty percent of participants report that shipping levels are above levels of three months ago (compared to 38% in February), 43% report that levels are the same as three months ago (compared to 44% last month) and only 17% report a decrease in shipping levels (compared to 18% in February).
