Economic Indicators

CURRENT BUSINESS INDICATORS LATEST PREVIOUS YEAR AGO

CPI output index (2007 = 100) May. '11 = 87.5 Apr. '11 = 87.0 Mar. '11 = 87.4 May. '10 = 85.1

CPI value of output, $ billions Apr. '11 = 2,081.2 Mar. '11 = 2,072.8 Feb. '11 = 1,990.4 Apr. '10 = 1,769.7

CPI operating rate, % May. '11 = 75.4 Apr. '11 = 74.9 Mar. '11 = 75.3 May. '10 = 72.8

Producer prices, industrial chemicals (1982 = 100) May. '11 = 336.0 Apr. '11 = 322.7 Mar. '11 = 312.9 May. '10 = 271.9

Industrial Production in Manufacturing (2007=100) May. '11 = 89.8 Apr. '11 = 89.4 Mar. '11 = 89.9 May. '10 = 86.7

Hourly earnings index, chemical & allied products (1992 = 100) May. '11 = 156.2 Apr. '11 = 154.9 Mar. '11 = 156.1 May. '10 = 152.7

Productivity index, chemicals & allied products (1992 = 100) May. '11 = 111.0 Apr. '11 = 110.9 Mar. '11 = 112.8 May. '10 = 109.8

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DOWNLOAD THE CEPCI TWO WEEKS SOONER AT WWW.CHE.COM/PCI

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1st 2nd 3rdQuarter

4th

Annual Index:2003 = 1,123.6 2004 = 1,178.5 2005 = 1,244.5 2006 = 1,302.32007 = 1,373.3 2008 = 1,449.3 2009 = 1,468.6 2010 = 1,457.4

CURRENT TRENDS

Capital equipment prices, as reflected in the CE Plant

Cost Index (CEPCI), increased approximately 1.14% on av-erage from March to April.

Meanwhile, according to the American Chemistry Council’s (Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) most recent weekly economic re-port at CE press time, indus-trial production increases in May were led by pharmaceu-ticals and specialty chemicals, while production actually fell in basic chemicals.

Visit www.che.com/pci for more information and other tips on capital cost trends and methodology. ■

2009 2010 2011

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT COST INDEX (CEPCI)

(1957-59 = 100) Apr. '11Prelim.

Mar. '11Final

Apr. '10Final

CE Index 582.4 575.8 555.3Equipment 708.2 698.7 666.0 Heat exchangers & tanks 671.4 657.5 622.6 Process machinery 665.3 662.0 625.4 Pipe, valves & fittings 868.9 862.8 829.5 Process instruments 443.7 438.7 426.7 Pumps & compressors 904.7 898.5 902.4 Electrical equipment 502.6 499.4 472.5 Structural supports & misc 752.8 738.6 688.7Construction labor 325.8 324.2 327.3Buildings 517.1 514.1 508.9Engineering & supervision 333.6 334.3 341.4

MARSHALL & SWIFT EQUIPMENT COST INDEX(1926 = 100) 1st Q

2011 4th Q 2010

3rd Q 2010

2nd Q 2010

1st Q 2010

M & S INDEX 1,490.2 1,476.7 1,473.3 1,461.3 1,448.3

Process industries, average 1,549.8 1,537.0 1,534.4 1,522.1 1,510.3 Cement 1,546.6 1,532.5 1,530.0 1,519.2 1,508.1 Chemicals 1,519.8 1,507.3 1,505.2 1,493.5 1,481.8 Clay products 1,534.9 1,521.4 1,518.3 1,505.6 1,496.0 Glass 1,447.2 1,432.7 1,428.5 1,416.4 1,403.0 Paint 1,560.7 1,545.8 1,542.1 1,527.6 1,515.1 Paper 1,459.4 1,447.6 1,444.5 1,430.1 1,416.4 Petroleum products 1,652.5 1,640.4 1,637.0 1,625.9 1,615.6 Rubber 1,596.2 1,581.5 1,579.3 1,564.2 1,551.0 Related industries Electrical power 1,461.2 1,434.9 1,419.2 1,414.0 1,389.6 Mining, milling 1,599.7 1,579.4 1,576.7 1,569.1 1,552.1 Refrigeration 1,827.8 1,809.3 1,804.8 1,786.9 1,772.2 Steam power 1,523.0 1,506.4 1,502.3 1,488.0 1,475.0

Source: Marshall & Swift‘s Marshall Valuation Service manual. Reprinted and published with permission of Marshall & Swift/Boeckh, LLC and its licensors, copyright 2010. May not be reprinted, copied, automated or used for valuation without permission.

Current Business Indicators provided by Global Insight, Inc., Lexington, Mass.

Annual Index:

2003 = 402.0

2004 = 444.2

2005 = 468.2

2006 = 499.6

2007 = 525.4

2008 = 575.4

2009 = 521.9

2010 = 550.8

64 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.COM JULY 2011

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