In June the European Foundry Sentiment Indicator (FISI) continued its recovery for the seventh consecutive month, says CAEF, the European Foundry Association. The increase of 1.3 points brings the index to a value of 109.6. The driving force behind this positive development is the good assessment of the current business situation. Expectations for the coming six months, meanwhile, did not increase significantly, but remain at a high level.
After the first half of the year, the most significant customer sectors of European foundries indicated different developments, which will also affect the tendency for the rest of the year. While the automotive industry continues to face considerable problems in the procurement of semiconductors leading to downward adjustments for the production forecast of the industry, the recovery in mechanical engineering is more robust than assumed a few months ago. Flexibility and good corporate communication regarding production planning are now being rewarded. However, setbacks and euphoria alike must be met with a calm hand.
At the same time, the Business Climate Indicator (BCI) also continues to improve for the 13th consecutive month, reaching a new all-time high in June. The increase of 0.22 points raises the index to its record level of 1.71 points. The current business situation is assessed as overall positive due to the excellent order situation. Therefore, rising sales prices and high employment are expected for the coming months.
The FISI, European Foundry Industry Sentiment Indicator, is the earliest available composite indicator providing information on the European foundry industry performance. It is published by CAEF, the European Foundry Association, every month and is based on survey responses of the European foundry industry. CAEF members are asked to give their assessment of the current business situation in the foundry sector and their expectations for the next six months. The BCI, Business Climate Indicator, is published by the European Commission. The BCI evaluates development conditions of the manufacturing sector in the euro area every month and uses five balances of opinion from industry survey – production trends, order books, export order books, stocks and production expectations. www.caef.eu