ApplianceFrom ApplianceBusiness Strategy AlignmentU.S. Housing Market Continues Its UpswingBuilder confidence in the U.S. new single-family home market was up for the fourth month in September 2014, to hit 59 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). This four-point gain elevates the index to its highest point since November of 2005.September 24, 2014Business Strategy AlignmentVoluntary Sustainability Standard Developed for Small-Appliance IndustryThe first voluntary U.S. sustainability standard for small appliances and floor care appliances has been released, intended to help portable and floor care appliance manufacturers evaluate the environmental sustainability of their products.September 2, 2014All TechnologyWalmart Says It Wants to Do More Business with American ManufacturersWalmart welcomed more than 500 manufacturers recently at its world headquarters, during the company's first Made in the USA open call. Suppliers met with senior company officials and merchants to pitch products for stores, clubs and online.July 16, 2014Food & BeverageWith Customer Traffic Up, Restaurants Invest More in Commercial AppliancesDriven mainly by stronger sales and traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index rose to its highest level in more than two years in May 2014. Among other things, restaurant operators continued the recent positive spending trends on commercial appliances.July 10, 2014Business Strategy AlignmentAverage Spending on Wedding Gifts in U.S. Up 16 Percent in Two YearsSpending on wedding gifts continues to rise—as does everything else about attending (or having) a wedding.May 13, 2014Business Strategy AlignmentManufacturers Focus on Cost Reduction, But Ignore Energy Inefficiency, Report SaysInsufficient communication and too much emphasis on controlling factory capital expenditures means that manufacturers pay massive energy-inefficiency costs over the lifetime of their plants, according to research firm IHS.April 15, 2014Business Strategy AlignmentThere Is 'Sense of Optimism' About U.S. Manufacturing, Study SuggestsImprovement in a number of indexes suggest optimism for the manufacturing sector in the coming three to six months, according to the quarterly MAPI Business Outlook.October 18, 2013Business Strategy AlignmentElectronic Gadgets to Cause Back-to-School Shopping to Significantly Top 2012 FiguresConsumer electronics purchases are driving up this year's total average back-to-school shopping total by 26 percent, according to the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker.August 29, 2013Business Strategy AlignmentElectrical Manufacturers Advocacy Group Applauds Obama's Focus on Energy EfficiencyThe National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has commended the administration for including in its FY2014 budget measures aimed at the promotion of energy-efficiency efforts in the public and private sectors.April 18, 2013Business Strategy AlignmentOptimism in Economy Growing Among Business People in U.S. and GloballyBusiness leaders in the United States showed signs of increased optimism in the performance of the nation's economy in the first quarter of 2013, according to the latest data from the Grant Thornton International Business Report. The report also showed higher global business optimism.April 15, 2013Page 1 of 2Next Page
