PMMI How’s Business Quarterly, 3rd Quarter 2017, published by PMMI – The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies, examines manufacturing and macroeconomic trends affecting production, demand and business confidence in the third quarter of 2017. Using government and industry sources such as ISM, BLS, the Conference Board and sector surveys, the analysis indicates evolving demand and production dynamics, labor and recruiting pressures, and pricing and trade headwinds. Focus areas include demand and shipments versus backlog and durable-goods orders; workforce strategy spanning hiring, wages and recruiting difficulty; and pricing signals and global trade shifts, with charts highlighting benchmarked quarter-to-quarter comparisons. The report reveals where manufacturing leaders are prioritizing investments to strengthen operational resilience.
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Published by PMMI in September 2017. Based on a 91‑respondent senior‑executive survey and secondary analysis of government and industry datasets (BLS, ISM, Conference Board, NAM, SHRM, Census) collected through July 2017.
