As the State of the Union shined a bright light on manufacturing, let's take a look at what happened last year.
According to Sageworks, a company that provides financial analysis of privately-held companies, sales growth in 2012 remained strong, although the rate of growth slowed down from 2011.
Analyst Brandt Leahy pointed out that profit margins continued to expand, with net profit margins surpassing pre-recession levels.
However, Leahy says, it’s difficult to say whether this is the result of increased demand or cost cutting.
