The ISM (Institute for Supply Management) Manufacturing PMI registered 54.6% in August, marking the eighth consecutive month of expansion for the manufacturing industry. The 54.6% reading is one percentage point below July’s 55.6% figure, indicating growth at a slower pace.

All five subindexes that make up the PMI (new orders, production, employment, supplier deliveries and inventories) were above 50%, according to the ISM. A reading below 50% generally represents contraction, although the supplier deliveries index is inversed, with a reading above 50% indicating slower deliveries.

“In August, U.S. manufacturing activity remained in expansion territory, though it has lost ground in a number of key measures — namely, the new orders, backlog and imports indexes,” says Susan Spence, chair of the ISM’s manufacturing business survey committee.

The new orders index registered 53.7% in August, a decrease of 3 percentage points from July’s 56.7%. The production and employment indexes also grew at a slower rate, decreasing to 58.3% and 51.2%, respectively.

15 manufacturing industries reported growth last month:

• Primary metals
• Electrical equipment, appliances & components
• Miscellaneous manufacturing
• Textile mills
• Furniture & related products
• Nonmetallic mineral products
• Paper products
• Transportation equipment
• Fabricated metal products
• Petroleum & coal products
• Printing & related support activities
• Computer & electronic products
• Plastics & rubber products
• Machinery
• Food, beverage & tobacco products

“Of the six largest manufacturing industries, five (transportation equipment; petroleum & coal products; computer & electronic products; machinery; and food, beverage & tobacco products) expanded in August,” says Spence.

42% of survey comments were positive, while 58% were negative, according to Spence. Topics including price volatility, the Iran war, increasing lead times and tariffs were frequently cited in the negative comments.

“We are making great new products but struggling to compete when prices escalate due to things like tariffs and the conflict in the Strait of Hormuz. I fear that the inflation caused by these factors will lead to lower sales and lower spending power of our customers,” writes one respondent in the chemical products sector.

Another respondent in the computer & electronic products sector writes, “Supply chain situation, especially in the electronics market, is going through another crisis even bigger and more complicated than during and post COVID-19. That’s mainly due to AI infrastructure and uncertainties in the global market (for oil and other critical supplies) due to war in the Middle East and more complication on trade rules.”