The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency issued new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets in August 2012, which increased the fuel economy requirements of light vehicles to an industry average of 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) for model year 2016. The expectation for CAFE in model year 2025 is about 50 mpg.

As light vehicle manufacturers continue to increase fuel efficiency, they are scrutinizing input choices, including sheet metals such as steel and aluminum, in an effort to reduce vehicle weight and fuel consumption. These shifts in the motor vehicle industry are of particular import to sheet metal suppliers; transportation equipment represented the largest market for sheet metal in 2015, and motor vehicle stampings account for a large portion of the demand.

The expansion of natural gas production in the US has changed the landscape of thermoplastics. The largest building block in the industry, ethylene, can be produced from derivatives of crude oil or natural gas. Over the past few years, the increased production of natural gas in the US, supported by technological improvements related to horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, caused the price of natural gas to see average annual declines of 11% between 2005 and 2015. This price shift, along with elevated oil prices throughout the past decade, caused many thermoplastic producers to prefer natural gas over oil in their production of feedstocks.

You may be eating one right now. And you’ll probably eat a few later on today. In fact, many health experts recommend consuming multiple servings of these foods each day.

So put down that cereal, pasta, pizza, sandwich, or organic/whole grain/quinoa snack chip that you’re eating, and let’s talk about … grain-based foods.    

Shipments of grain-based foods from US bakeries and factories are forecast to reach $110 billion in 2020, representing annual increases of 2.0% from $99.8 billion in 2015. Population growth will drive demand for such foods, since many of these products serve as dietary staples.

Today’s consumers are looking to fill their grocery carts with food made from clean, natural ingredients. As a result, big brands are modifying their products in hopes of winning over health-conscious consumers, and the baking aisle is no exception.  

“A trend that has really burst out in the last year is what I’ve been calling the ‘better baking trend,’” explains Kara Nielsen, a food trendologist and professionally trained baker. “This makes a ton of sense, when you consider a lot of the baking mixes, jarred frosting, and other items in the baking aisle are very family centered. Kids are the main consumer in many cases.”

Many participants in the US repair services industry, particularly small independent repair shops, have faced mounting challenges over the last decade. During this period, one key trend has been manufacturers’ increasing control over the repair of their products. Recent events, however, have given pause to this trend and even promise to reverse it.

For many people, marriage is a blessed arrangement, a dream within a dream...

For the jewelry industry, it’s a major driver of sales.

According to some estimates, 95% of couples exchange rings along with marriage vows, and the “gold standard” for the majority of US brides is a ring encrusted with at least one diamond.  

Thus, US personal consumption expenditures (in nominal terms) on jewelry are expected to advance 3.1% annually to 2020 as the number of new marriages continues to grow.  

It’s that time of the year when both kids as well as adult “career enhancers” are heading back to school, but fewer and fewer students are turning to degree-granting for-profit institutions (eg, DeVry University and University of Phoenix) for their post-secondary education needs.

While for-profit enrollment climbed 14% per year on average over the 1995-2010 period (topping out at 9.6% of total post-secondary enrollments in 2010), enrollment fell at an average annual rate of 7.0% over the 2010-2015 period. That performance compares to 1.9% average annual growth in nonprofit private post-secondary school enrollment over the 1995-2010 period, and <1.0% average annual growth over the 2010-2015 period.

Expansion has always been key to the world flat glass industry. Since it’s impractical to ship glass long distances, companies must open a new plant whenever they enter a new intended market. But with the cost to open a float plant with a 500 metric ton per day capacity between $150 and $200 million, flat glass producers must be sure that such a large investment will pay off. As a result, in recent years more companies have been expanding in developing areas, where less mature markets have a greater potential for growth.

In 2014, gymnasium and exercise equipment surpassed golf equipment as the largest sports equipment segment in the US, a position golf equipment had held since 2006. Since that time, many observers have declared the downfall of golf, citing falling participation levels and the millennial cohort’s apparent lack of interest for the game. In addition, the number of open golf courses in the US has taken a tumble in the past decade.

Bearings are an essential part of our everyday lives, yet we only notice them when they fail. Then we become acutely aware of how maddening they can be.

Bearing failures can come out of nowhere and ruin your day. Replacing a wheel bearing in your car can keep you from getting to work and cost you a hefty repair fee. If a bearing breaks down in your computer’s hard drive, you may lose work files or treasured family photos and videos.