64 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHE.

COM JANUARY 2013

Economic Indicators
CURRENT BUSINESS INDICATORS
LATEST PREVIOUS YEAR AGO
CPI output index (2007 = 100) Nov. '12 = 87.7 Oct. '12 = 87.1 Sep. '12 = 87.3 Nov. '11 = 87.731
CPI value of output, $ billions Oct. '12 = 2,226.7 Sep. '12 = 2,203.2 Aug. '12 = 2,175.3 Oct. '11 = 2,126.63
CPI operating rate, % Nov. '12 = 75.7 Oct. '12 = 75.2 Sep. '12 = 75.3 Nov. '11 = 75.702
Producer prices, industrial chemicals (1982 = 100) Nov. '12 = 297.3 Oct. '12 = 299.7 Sep. '12 = 300.1 Nov. '11 = 315.6
Industrial Production in Manufacturing (2007=100) Nov. '12 = 94.0 Oct. '12 = 92.9 Sep. '12 = 93.8 Nov. '11 = 91.5071
Hourly earnings index, chemical & allied products (1992 = 100) Nov. '12 = 157.6 Oct. '12 = 157.6 Sep. '12 = 158.6 Nov. '11 = 155.674
Productivity index, chemicals & allied products (1992 = 100) Nov. '12 = 105.4 Oct. '12 = 103.3 Sep. '12 = 103.6 Nov. '11 = 106.597
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DOWNLOAD THE CEPCI TWO WEEKS SOONER AT WWW.CHE.COM/PCI
CURRENT TRENDS
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING PLANT COST INDEX (CEPCI)
(1957-59 = 100) Oct. '12
Prelim.
Sept.'12
Final
Oct. '11
Final
CE Index
575.4 577.4 594.0
Equipment 698.2 700.7 724.7
Heat exchangers & tanks 638.5 643.9 691.5
Process machinery 658.3 662.2 674.9
Pipe, valves & fittings 899.4 895.7 906.3
Process instruments 424.3 424.1 432.5
Pumps & compressors 929.0 929.0 911.5
Electrical equipment 512.2 510.6 508.8
Structural supports & misc 734.2 742.3 769.8
Construction labor 324.0 324.9 330.0
Buildings 525.6 527.3 521.2
Engineering & supervision 328.1 328.5 330.4

Current Business Indicators provided by IHS Global Insight, Inc., Lexington, Mass.
Annual
Index:
2004 = 444.2
2005 = 468.2
2006 = 499.6
2007 = 525.4
2008 = 575.4
2009 = 521.9
2010 = 550.8
2011 = 585.7
P
reliminary data from the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; top)
for October 2012 (the most recent available) indicate that
capital equipment prices dropped 0.35% from September
to October. The current-year plant cost index is 3.2% lower
than it was in October of the previous year (2011). Within the
CEPCI, most of the equipment-class subgroups were down from
a year prior including: heat exchangers and tanks; process
machinery; pipes, valves and fittings; process instruments;
and structural supports and miscellanous equipment. Pumps
and compressors and electrical equipment show higher values
compared to a year ago. The construction labor and engineer-
ing and supervision indexes also dropped compared to a year
ago, while the buildings index edged higher compared to the
same time in 2011. Meanwhile, the Current Business Indica-
tors from IHS Global Insight (middle), show a slight increase
in the CPI output index from October to November 2012, and
a 1.1% increase in the CPI value of output over the same time
period. Industrial chemical producer prices are down 0.81%
from October to November 2012, and down 6.1% compared
to November a year ago.
2010 2011 2012