The report titled, "The Hidden Backbone of U.S. Manufacturing," is based on findings from a survey of 165 U.S. manufacturing companies ranging in size from 100 employees to more than 50,000. The report notes that in a global economy, big cost increases in any local or regional commodity, like chemicals, can make it difficult to manufacture profitably from a U.S. base because competition from overseas makes it nearly impossible to pass those cost increases on to customers. For large companies this problem can be solved by moving production offshore or at least sourcing from offshore suppliers. For smaller companies it may not be so easy.
Chemicals are often a misunderstood input into most of the products used in the U.S. each day - from diapers and crayons to computers and pharmaceuticals. 90% of manufacturers surveyed see the cost of materials sourced from the chemical industry increasing. The impact of rising costs is severe given that most manufacturers depend on chemicals for some form of production and, as a raw material expense, chemical costs are a key driver of profitability. In fact, 55% overall have significant, direct dependence for production and 73% of food, medicine, and other process manufacturing operations rely on chemicals.
"The most immediate and obvious risk is to the resilience and competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing, and with it millions of jobs and domestic production. But less obvious, and more troubling, is the consequence of an over reliance on offshore suppliers - our inability to
respond effectively to a national crisis such as an earthquake, pandemic, or terrorist attack," said Kevin O'Marah, senior vice president at AMR Research and co-author of the report.
The report adds that there is little alternative for manufacturers as 50% say that materials sourced from the chemical industry are impossible to replace and a remaining 40% add that alternatives are available but at a far greater cost. As chemical inputs are both difficult to replace and invisible to consumers, margin pressures on U.S. based manufacturing are severe.
"Chemicals are a critical link in the supply chain for two-thirds of U.S. manufacturers, but America's chemical industry is threatened by rising domestic natural gas costs. At stake is not only the future health of chemical manufacturing firms, but also the thousands of companies that use their chemicals to make everything from crayons to computers. America needs a robust energy strategy to ensure affordable supplies, future development and greater efficiency," said NAM President and CEO John Engler.
