CEMA reports unexpectedly strong gains in 2017

The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA) has reported that overall industry orders (bookings) for the first six months of 2017 increased 9.09% compared to the same period in 2016, with total orders of $6.23 billion.

CEMA estimates industry billed sales (shipments) for the first six months of 2017 increased 12.88% compared to the same period in 2016, with total shipments of $7.19 billion. Unit handling orders were up 7.13% and shipments were up 16.15%. In the bulk conveying area, orders were up 13.62% and shipments were up 4.58%.

CEMA president Paul Ross announced the results at the Association’s Fall Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. The executives representing CEMA member companies who attended the Fall Meeting expressed optimism for the remainder of 2017. As a result, the forecast for shipments for 2017 changed from March 2017 forecast of a 7.5% increase to an increase of 12.5% for 2017.

CEMA tracks new orders and shipped sales volume in nine classes of unit handling equipment and four classes of bulk handling equipment. Founded in 1933, CEMA is the trade association of leading conveyor equipment manufacturers and engineering firms in The Americas. CEMA also makes available to member and nonmember companies, safety labels for all types of conveyor equipment as well as technical information and manuals. For example, CEMA has available for purchase, Belt Conveyors for Bulk Materials 7th Edition - “The Belt Book”; Bucket Elevator Book Best Practices in Design and the CEMA Application Guide for Unit Handling Conveyors 2nd Edition – “The Unit Book”. These books are authoritative technical manuals for conveyor design worldwide. For further information on CEMA, “The Voice of the Conveyor Industry of the Americas” or its member companies, or to order safety labels or CEMA publications, visit its web site at https://www.cemanet.org.