Robotics, artificial intelligence and other solutions will help alleviate the constraints on labor. Growing food and beverage businesses will maintain or improve market share while passing along costs to consumers. Read about other sectors If 2021 was the year for middle market food and beverage ... READ MORE >
supply chain
Can apparel sales growth continue? – Spring 2022 outlook
Apparel companies, especially those in the middle market, will need to pay close attention to inventory levels to ensure balance sheets are not burdened with excess product. Beauty and personal care brands should experience strong performance as customer mobility increases and COVID-19 cases ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Manufacturing sector grows at a slower pace
The manufacturing sector continued to grow in December, but at a slightly lower rate compared to November, according to data released by the Institute for Supply Management on Tuesday. The data, taken before the full effect of the omicron variant was felt, pointed to the same big picture of healthy ... READ MORE >
Government services contractors continue to contend with labor issues, pandemic fallout
While government services contractors battle a tight labor market and ongoing supply chain disruptions, they emerged from the third quarter of 2021 excited for advances in digital warfare and the future of defense. Top executives in the government services space highlighted opportunities and strategic ... READ MORE >
Biden’s infrastructure package: Impact on consumer products businesses
On Nov. 15, President Biden signed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package—The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—that provides historic funding levels to improve public works, including roads, bridges, highways, internet access and the power grid, as well as to mitigate the effects of climate change. ... READ MORE >
Defense technology companies contend with supply chain challenges, vaccine mandate
Companies in the defense technologies ecosystem continue to closely monitor and optimize their labor force and supply chains while positioning for short- and long-term federal government modernization and innovation efforts. In third-quarter earnings calls, top industry executives primarily addressed ... READ MORE >
Consumer products holiday season countdown: What will they buy?
Consumer behavior has never been more diverse, volatile and difficult to predict this holiday season. However, as consumers navigate an evolving landscape of mask and vaccine mandates, localized outbreaks and school re-openings, some trends have begun to emerge. Some at-home trends have begun to ... READ MORE >
Chart of the day: Canada’s retail sales cool amid bumpy recovery
Continuing what has been a volatile year for consumers, Canada’s retail sales decreased by 0.6% in July compared to June, according to data released on Thursday by Statistics Canada. The decline is just the latest swing in what has been an ever-changing consumer landscape amid uncertainty concerning ... READ MORE >
Managing a supply chain: The short and long game for consumer goods companies
Persistent bottlenecks throughout the global supply chain continue to stand in the way of middle market consumer goods companies’ ability to take full advantage of robust consumer demand. And while the challenges these companies face are not unique to the middle market, midsize businesses will need to ... READ MORE >
Home builders, facing shortage of materials, can’t meet soaring demand
Even as the housing market continues to lead the economic recovery in the United States, home builders, whipsawed by more than a year of dramatic changes fueled by the pandemic, are facing new pressures as they try to meet surging demand. Already, builders have been scrambling to find enough workers to ... READ MORE >