A worker installs parts onto the dashboard for the new Chevrolet Cruze car as it moves along the assembly line at the General Motors Cruze assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio July 22, 2011. (Photo: Reuters)
The Institute for Supply Management said the PMI, the Manufacturing Report on Business, came in at 54.8%, a decrease of 2.4% but above the 53.2% median forecast.
Of the 18 manufacturing industries, 16 reported growth in April in the following order: Electrical Equipment, Appliances & Components; Textile Mills; Nonmetallic Mineral Products; Furniture & Related Products; Plastics & Rubber Products; Fabricated Metal Products; Printing & Related Support Activities; Machinery; Paper Products; Chemical Products; Food, Beverage & Tobacco Products; Primary Metals; Miscellaneous Manufacturing; Computer & Electronic Products; Petroleum & Coal Products; and Transportation Equipment.
The only industry that reported contraction in April compared to March is Apparel, Leather & Allied Products.
The New Orders Index, at 57.5, was at its highest level in a year.
