64 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JANUARY 2013

Economic Indicators

CURRENT BUSINESS INDICATORS LATEST PREVIOUS YEAR AGO

CPI output index (2007 = 100) Nov. '12 = 87.7 Oct. '12 = 87.1 Sep. '12 = 87.3 Nov. '11 = 87.731

CPI value of output, $ billions Oct. '12 = 2,226.7 Sep. '12 = 2,203.2 Aug. '12 = 2,175.3 Oct. '11 = 2,126.63

CPI operating rate, % Nov. '12 = 75.7 Oct. '12 = 75.2 Sep. '12 = 75.3 Nov. '11 = 75.702

Producer prices, industrial chemicals (1982 = 100) Nov. '12 = 297.3 Oct. '12 = 299.7 Sep. '12 = 300.1 Nov. '11 = 315.6

Industrial Production in Manufacturing (2007=100) Nov. '12 = 94.0 Oct. '12 = 92.9 Sep. '12 = 93.8 Nov. '11 = 91.5071

Hourly earnings index, chemical & allied products (1992 = 100) Nov. '12 = 157.6 Oct. '12 = 157.6 Sep. '12 = 158.6 Nov. '11 = 155.674

Productivity index, chemicals & allied products (1992 = 100) Nov. '12 = 105.4 Oct. '12 = 103.3 Sep. '12 = 103.6 Nov. '11 = 106.597

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D OW N LOAD TH E CEPCI TW O W EEK S SOON ER AT W W W .CH E.CO M /PCI

CURRENT TRENDS

CH EM ICAL ENG INEERING P LANT COST INDEX (CEPCI)

(1957-59 = 100) Oct. '12Prelim .

Sep t. '12Fina l

Oct. '11Fina l

CE Ind ex 575.4 577.4 594.0

Eq uipment 698.2 700.7 724.7

Heat exchangers & tanks 638.5 643.9 691.5

Process machinery 658.3 662.2 674.9

Pipe, valves & fittings 899.4 895.7 906.3

Process instruments 424.3 424.1 432.5

Pumps & compressors 929.0 929.0 911.5

Electrical eq uipment 512.2 510.6 508.8

Structural supports & misc 734.2 742.3 769.8

Construction labor 324.0 324.9 330.0

Buildings 525.6 527.3 521.2

Engineering & supervision 328.1 328.5 330.4

Current Business Indicators provided by IHS G lobal Insight, Inc., Lexington, Mass.

Annua l

Ind ex:

2004 = 444.2

2005 = 468.2

2006 = 499.6

2007 = 525.4

2008 = 575.4

2009 = 521.9

2010 = 550.8

2011 = 585.7

Preliminary data from the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; top) for October 2012 (the most recent available) indicate that

capital equipment prices dropped 0.35% from September to October. The current-year plant cost index is 3.2% lower than it was in October of the previous year (2011). Within the CEPCI, most of the equipment-class subgroups were down from a year prior — including: heat exchangers and tanks; process machinery; pipes, valves and fittings; process instruments; and structural supports and miscellanous equipment. Pumps and compressors and electrical equipment show higher values

compared to a year ago. The construction labor and engineer-ing and supervision indexes also dropped compared to a year ago, while the buildings index edged higher compared to the same time in 2011. Meanwhile, the Current Business Indica-tors from IHS Global Insight (middle), show a slight increase in the CPI output index from October to November 2012, and a 1.1% increase in the CPI value of output over the same time period. Industrial chemical producer prices are down 0.81% from October to November 2012, and down 6.1% compared to November a year ago.

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