Unipetrol - Competitors

Unipetrol Competition

Now Viewing Unipetrol's competition in: Manufacturing Sector

Recent Developments

Industrial Production Declines - The rate of US industrial production, an indicator of manufacturing activity, declined 0.3 percent in June 2008 compared to June 2007; general manufacturing dropped 0.6 percent. Specific manufacturing sectors with production declines included motor vehicles and parts, 11.9 percent; appliances, furniture, and carpeting, 11.7 percent; and durable consumer goods, 7.1 percent. Growing sectors included computers, communication equipment, and semiconductors, 23.6 percent; and semiconductors and related equipment production, 29.3 percent.

Manufacturing Trade Group Urges More Nuclear Power - The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) suggests that investment in nuclear power is needed to ensure the US' growing energy needs, and that increasing America's nuclear power capacity is key to creating good, high-paying manufacturing jobs. NAM believes that not investing in future energy needs will raise costs for manufacturers, making US products less competitive.

Manufacturers Hurt by Auto, Housing Weakness - The US economy shrunk in June 2008 as factories trimmed workforces, according to the Conference Board. As US carmakers and homebuilders reel from high oil prices and the mortgage crisis, job cuts and reduced hours spread to other sectors of the manufacturing economy. Despite the challenges of ailing sectors and lower consumer confidence, first quarter 2008 US GDP increased 2.5 percent compared to first quarter 2007.

Competitive Landscape

Demand ultimately depends on consumer spending, but changes in demand often aren't felt immediately because most manufacturers make intermediate products. The profitability of individual companies depends on efficient production and distribution. Large companies often have large economies of scale in purchasing, production, and marketing. Small companies can compete effectively by producing specialized products. The industry is capital-intensive and highly automated: annual revenue per employee varies greatly due to the large variety of production operations but averages more than $350,000.

Full Industry Overview For Manufacturing Sector

Manufacturing Sector Industry Forecast

from Hoover's/D&B subsidiary First Research

The output of the US manufacturing sector is forecast to grow at an annual compounded rate of 4.6 percent between 2008 and 2013.

Manufacturing Production Growth Dips and Recovers

First Research forecasts are based on INFORUM forecasts that are licensed from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. (IERF) in College Park, MD. INFORUM's "interindustry-macro" approach to modeling the economy captures the links between industries and the aggregate economy.