2020 Forging Business Outlook Survey

Question Title

* 1. What metals do you forge? (Please check all that apply)

Alloy Steel

Aluminum

Brass & Copper Alloys

Carbon Steel

High Temperature Alloys

Stainless Steel

Titanium

None/Industry Supplier

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 2. How many employees do you have in your forging operation?

Under 20

20-49

50-99

100 - 249

250 or more

Question Title

* 3. What type(s) of forging is/are performed at your location? (Please check all that apply)

Impression die

Open die

Ring rolling

Impact extrusion

Powder forging

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 4. Indicate the approximate value of forged products your plant will ship during 2019.

Less than $1 million

$1 - 5 million

$5 - 10 million

$10 - 20 million

$20 - 50 million

$50 - 100 million

More than $100 million

Question Title

* 5. How will your 2019 forging shipments (tonnage) compare with 2018 forging shipments (tonnage)?

About the same

Increase

Decrease

Question Title

* 6. If you selected "increase" for Q5, by what percentage (estimate)?

0-10%

10-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-90%

+90%

Question Title

* 7. If you selected "decrease" for Q5, by what percentage (estimate)?

0-10%

10-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-90%

+90%

Question Title

* 8. How do you expect your 2020 forging shipments (tonnage) to compare with the 2019 forging shipments (tonnage)?

About the same

Increase

Decrease

Question Title

* 9. If you selected "increase" for Q8, by what percentage (estimate)?

0-10%

10-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-90%

+90%

Question Title

* 10. If you selected "decrease" for Q8, by what percentage (estimate)?

0-10%

10-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-90%

+90%

Question Title

* 11. What percentage of "normal" plant capacity is represented by your 2019 average monthly forging production? ("Normal" being the number of employees, shifts, and days your plant normally operates.)

0-50%

51-65%

66-80%

80-90%

90-99%

100%

Question Title

* 12. How are tariffs affecting your business?

No effect

Becoming more of a competitive factor

Becoming less of a competitive factor

We’re increasing our exports

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* 13. Please detail your response to Q12:

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* 14. What types of capital investments were made for your forging operation during 2019? (Please check all that apply)

Air compressors

Billet feeders/conveyors

Cleaning/finishing equipment

Cranes/hoists

Cutoff equipment

Design software/hardware

Die sinking equipment

Enterprise software (ERP, MRP, etc.)

Forge furnaces/billet-bar heaters

Forging handlers/conveyors

Forging machine rebuild/controls modernization

Grinding equipment

Heat treating equipment

Lift trucks or loaders

Machine tools

Market studies

New forging machines (presses, hammers, upsetters, ring mills, etc.)

Pollution control equipment

Process control software/hardware

Process monitoring equipment

Product research

Quick die-change equipment

Robots/manipulators

Simulation software/hardware

Testing/inspection equipment

Training/Education

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 15. Do you plan to make any of these capital expenditures during 2020?

New Plant

Addition to Plant

New Equipment

None

Question Title

* 16. What do you estimate will be the total of your capital expenditures during 2020?

Less than $100,000

$101,000 to $250,000

$251,000 to $500,000

$500,000 to $1 million

$1 million to $5 million

More than $5 million

Question Title

* 17. How will your 2020 capital expenditures compare to 2019 expenditures?

About the same

Increase

Decrease

Question Title

* 18. If you selected "increase" for Q17, by what percentage (estimate)?

0-10%

10-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-90%

+90%

Question Title

* 19. If you selected "decrease" Q17, by what percentage (estimate)?

0-10%

10-25%

26-50%

51-75%

76-90%

+90%

Question Title

* 20. What are your borrowing plans for 2019?

Retire debt

Maintain debt about the same

Not currently carrying any debt

Increase debt

Question Title

* 21. What types of investments are planned for your forging operation in 2020? (Please check all that apply)

Air compressors

Billet feeders/conveyors

Cleaning/finishing equipment

Cranes/hoists

Cutoff equipment

Design software/hardware

Die sinking equipment

Enterprise software (ERP, MRP, etc.)

Forge furnaces/billet-bar heaters

Forging handlers/conveyors

Forging machine rebuild/controls modernization

Grinding equipment

Heat treating equipment

Lift trucks or loaders

Machine tools

Market studies

New forging machines (presses, hammers, upsetters, ring mills, etc.)

Pollution control equipment

Process control software/hardware

Process monitoring equipment

Product research

Quick die-change equipment

Robots/manipulators

Simulation software/hardware

Testing/inspection equipment

Training/Education

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 22. Have any of the issues listed below been significant problems for your operation during 2019? (Please check all that apply)

Availability of capital

Energy cost

EPA requirements

Foreign competition

General labor shortage

Higher labor costs

Higher raw materials costs

Interest rates

Lack of orders

Medical/insurance costs

On-time delivery of forgings

OSHA requirements

Product liability

Quality of forgings

Raw material lead-time

Raw material quality

Tariffs

Workers’ compensation

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 23. Are any of the issues listed below likely to become a significant problem in 2020? (Please check all that apply)

Availability of capital

Energy cost

EPA requirements

Foreign competition

General labor shortage

Higher labor costs

Higher raw materials costs

Interest rates

Lack of orders

Medical/insurance costs

On-time delivery of forgings

OSHA requirements

Product liability

Quality of forgings

Raw material lead-time

Raw material quality

Tariffs

Workers’ compensation

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 24. Do you currently use computer simulation in the design or analysis of your forging process?

Yes

Question Title

* 25. If Yes to Q24, what is the primary value of computer simulation in your company?

As part of the design process (reduce shop floor trials, optimize forging processes)

To perform analysis after the fact; if process problems are encountered on the shop floor

Both

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 26. If No to Q24, why not?

Unaware of any computer simulation technology for our particular applications

Don’t see the value in computer simulation

Don’t have personnel with the experience to use computer simulation

Cost

All of the above

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 27. Which of the following will have the greatest impact on the future of the forging industry?

Increased availability of qualified workers

Inability to retain the current workers

Lack of continuing education and training for existing workforce

Lack of programs to grow the incoming workforce (internships, scholarships, etc.)

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 28. Which of these will be most effective at encouraging professional growth in forging?

Additional scholarships and internships

Additional or alternate training programs (programs at colleges, trade schools)

Involvement of companies with trade associations and colleges

New professional associations (geographical? market-focused? forging industry-specific, etc.)

Question Title

* 29. Which of these market areas offers the most promise for your forging company?

Alternative energy (wind, solar)

Nuclear energy

Oil/natural gas

Fuel efficient engines

Other automotive components

Aircraft / aerospace components

Lighter composites for transportation

Medical / surgical equipment or devices

Infrastructure and construction

None of the above

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* 30. Any additional comments that you might have regarding the state of the foundry industry and the business outlook will be appreciated. Your comments are confidential. We may quote relevant comments, without attribution, for our report in the December 2019 issue.

Question Title

* 31. If you would like to be entered in the drawing, please fill-in your information below:

Name:

Country:

Email Address: