Tariffs Motivate Companies to Seek Domestic Sources for OEM Automotive Parts
Before tariffs went into effect, the U.S. imported roughly $10 billion a year in automotive parts from Chinese manufacturers and $14 billion from the EU and Japan combined; the prospect of escalated tariffs is causing uncertainty across this industry.
Read More »Demand for Hand Tools Still On The Rise Despite Increased Automation
Although automated and robotic technologies have become the norm in industry, hand tools still play an indispensable role in almost all industrial sectors, including construction, agriculture, and manufacturing.
Read More »Skills Gap Pushes Manufacturing Companies to Outsource Design Engineering Work
Due to low volume of qualified candidates, manufacturing companies are struggling to fill open engineering positions; many are instead turning to third-party engineering design firms for a wide range of prototyping, design, and engineering services.
Read More »Anticipated National Infrastructure Investments Drive Increase in Geotextile Sourcing
Supported by a long history of diverse applications, the geotextile fabrics market is predicted to grow 12% through 2025 to a global market size of more than $9 billion.
Read More »Tariffs, Strong Economic Growth Continue to Drive Demand, Q2 Sourcing Activity Shows
As Q2 comes to a close, this week's Thomas Index Report reflects on major sourcing activity for the top industrial and manufacturing services and products for the past three months.
Read More »Demand for Dust Collection Systems Picks Up As Economy Continues to Grow
By boosting productivity, extending machine life, improving product quality, and reducing energy costs, dust collection systems play an important role in industrial processes.
Read More »As New Commercial Applications Emerge, Demand for Drones Continues to Soar
While defense & consumer markets have been the primary driving forces behind drone demand, other markets are now growing more interested in how drones can be used for diverse commercial and industrial applications.
Read More »As Consumers Seek Healthier Diet Habits, Private Label Nutraceuticals on the Rise
Due to increasing consumer demand for healthier lifestyles, sourcing for nutraceuticals products like vitamins and herbal supplements has been growing steadily.
Read More »Driven by U.S.-China Tariff Feud, Furniture Sourcing on the Rise
The U.S. imported over $11 billion in furniture from China in 2017 - but with 25% tariffs on Chinese imports in place as of June 2018, buyers have been increasingly sourcing furniture from domestic manufacturers.
Read More »Focus on R&D Drives Demand for Laboratory Equipment, Supplies
Sourcing for laboratory equipment and supplies, as well as several other related categories, has been steadily increasing over the past few months fueled by federal, industrial, and university spending.
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