Likelihood of Buying Capital Equipment Grows

The latest “30-second survey” conducted by Modern Machine Shop shows that 20 percent of respondents say they are very likely to buy capital equipment in the next 12 months. That’s up from the 11.5 percent reported in the March 2010 survey, the next most recent survey.

The survey, conducted every two months, asks a random sample of MMS readers about their buying intentions for the coming year. Other questions asked about their outlook on the general economy and their own businesses.

The jump in “very likely” responses seems to be in keeping with an uptick in equipment sales since the beginning of the year, as reported by various trade groups representing machine tool and manufacturing equipment suppliers.

However, the percentage of respondents indicating that they are very unlikely to buy capital equipment in the next 12 months remained virtually unchanged March to May (28.6 and 28.8 percent respectively).

The May survey also indicated that an optimistic outlook on the general economy is growing, as well as optimism about the respondents own businesses.