In the recent months, people are watchful to what happens to the U.S. housing market, which is hammered by a downturn in sales and prices owing to the meltdown of sub-prime mortgages. Soaring energy prices, declining home values that make American people feel less wealthy, and a gloomy outlook for the US labor market all figure into more caution on the part of consumers. Economists are warning that the oncoming US economic slowdown will possibly bring a domino effect on the export growing momentum from China, Europe and Japan and other developing countries, hold back years of robust growth in these countries and also terminate the boom in commodity prices that benefited them over the past years. By this, it is expected that the troubled U.S. economy will finally deepen fears of a global recession in 2008.
Locking Systems
Security system is crucial to home safety. According to a survey conducted by Practical World Cologne, the top-2 items for effective burglary prevention are key cylinder in their home's front and back doors, lockable windows and balcony doors. It is also important to the use of a security service and the installation of steel doors. Innovative lock cylinders make break-ins tougher than ever, by higher tamper-proof resistance with profile cylinder series incorporating an internal key stop. A brand-new electronic door-lock system is designed to reduce the risk of the "electro picking" which burglars use to open mechanical profile cylinders. The system also makes locking up easier and more convenient from inside and outside by the use of the rotary grip.
Pipes & Fittings
Strong growth in utilities construction will fuel pipe and valve demands. Global demand for plastic pipes is predicted to grow more than 4% annually, topping 6.3 billion meters. Pipes are the heart of household plumbing system. Steel pipe is used basically for carrying water, steam or gas in both black and galvanized finish. Galvanized pipes are usually used for water systems as black pipes for natural gas. Plastic pipes are popular among do-it-yourselfers since they are easy to work with, lightweight and durable. One of the major benefits of plastic pipes is that it will not rot or corrode. Couplings are used to connect all standard sizes of pipes. Bushings are inserted inside a coupling to reduce the size of the pipe. Elbow is used to change direction of pipe.
Industrial Valves
Demand for industrial valves is forecasted to rise 3.2% annually through 2011 to $16.3 billion. Steel and steel alloys will keep dominating as major valve construction materials due to their good performance in high temperature and high stress applications. Gate valves have a sliding wedge that is moved across the waterway, usually by a threaded spindle or stem. Globe and angle valves are used while a valve must be opened and closed frequently under high water pressure. Globe valves are used to control volume of flow. Similar to a globe valve, an angle valve has its ports at right angles and is installed at a turn in piping to reduce the necessity of an elbow. Check valves allow flow in one direction only and are used to prevent water pumped to an overhead tank from flowing back when the pump stops.
Bearings
Bearings are primarily applied to ease friction between moving parts or to carry load in certain industries such as those that handle materials. They are largely used in automobile industry, followed by general engineering, electrical industries, heavy industry and railways industry. The average bearing lifespan has largely prolonged thanks to the use of improved product designs, superior quality materials such as cleaner, stronger steels and better lubricants. Ball, roller and plain bearing demands are expected to grow 3.2% per year through 2011 to $11.0 billion. An upturn in nonresidential investment expenditures will help boost demand for bearings used in both original equipment manufacturing (OEM) and maintenance/repair/operations (MRO) applications.
Industrial Fasteners
Industrial fasteners are primarily used in automobile, aerospace, electric appliance, electrical and electronics industries. In the U.S., auto industry consumes about 42% of the industrial fasteners. The consumption of industrial fasteners is also related to the construction of commercial buildings and infrastructure. Spurred by healthy growth in nonresidential construction and aerospace equipment, US demand for industrial fasteners is expected to reach $12.9 billion in 2011. The demand for application-specific standard fasteners will continue to grow at a quicker pace than other standard fastener types, as more original equipment manufacturers replace commodity items with specialized designs. China demand for industrial fasteners is projected increase 9.4% annually through 2010 to RMB 40.2 billion, outpacing growth in most other regions of the world, driven by fast growth in industrial machinery, automobiles and electrical and electronic products.
To fastener manufacturers, raw material cost accounts for a large proportion of overall manufacturing costs. In the recent years, we're witnessing a sustaining upswing on the carbon steel, alloy steel, along with alloying elements including aluminum, titanium, nickel, copper and the cost of most forms of energy used in the manufacturing process. This will impose a heavy pressure on most of industrial players.
