Manufacturers Move to Counter High Energy Costs

更高的燃料和能源成本对制造公司的底线有明显的直接和间接影响。但是，许多人正在以一系列旨在降低或抵消这些较高成本的动作进行反击，而许多人也采用了“绿色”，不仅对环境友好的制造实践，而且还产生了直接的底线收益。

Results of a recent survey released by MFG.com(www.MFG.com)这是一个为制造业社区的全球在线市场，这是如此。MFG.com北美买家社区的450多名受访者完成了涉及以能源为中心的趋势的MFGWATCH调查，其中88.2％来自美国的参与者，加拿大的参与者为11.8％。参与者包括积极使用MFG.com来采购制造服务，定制和标准零件的工程师，采购专业人员和运营经理。

在调查中，要求买家描述其业务对燃料成本上升的反应。30％的人表示他们将向客户提高价格，29％的人将在其他领域储蓄或生产力提高，而14％的人会吸收成本并接受降低的盈利能力。21％的人回答说不会发生任何变化，而其余的买家会通过要求供应商少收费而做出反应。

Changes planned

询问买家计划哪些更改计划降低或抵消其业务的燃油成本：
• 28 percent of the participants are buying materials from suppliers closer to their facilities
• 25 percent are reviewing all transportation and logistics providers contract arrangements
•22％的人计划没有更改
• 18 percent are changing their approach to production, e.g. moving from make-to-stock to make-to-order
• 7 percent are changing their warehousing, distribution and service center locations and/or strategies regarding supply chain network design.

除了燃油价格上涨的导致运输成本上涨外，购买者还被要求确定影响其业务的相关因素：
• 42 percent of the participants had increased raw materials costs, e.g. oil derivatives such as plastics and chemicals
•22％的买家遇到了需要加热和冷却的制造过程成本增加
• 12 percent of the respondents experienced reduced demand for their, or their customers’, products or services
•9％的买家在吸引和保留人员方面有更大的困难
• 3 percent responded that they were losing sales to more energy-efficient competitors.

Going green

当被问及他们的公司是否正在积极追求绿色（环保）制造实践时，有51％的参与者做出了肯定的回应，有36％的人表示没有进行任何变化，而12％的参与者不知道他们的公司是否正在追求绿色倡议。要求“是”受访者描述他们目前正在实践的绿色倡议：
• 25 percent are recycling manufacturing waste
• 22 percent are reducing waste through more efficient manufacturing practices
• 17 percent have minimized power consumption through more efficient machine utilization
• 16 percent use recycled materials as a part of their raw materials
•16％使用绿色材料（来自托管森林的木材，无毒化学的材料，可生物降解材料等）。

还询问了采用绿色制造实践的买家，它如何影响其底线：
• 29 percent stated Green practices saves them money
• 27 percent stated Green practices attracts more business
• 20 percent did not know if there was an effect on their bottom line
• 13 percent stated Green practices have no effect
• 12 percent responded that Green manufacturing practices cost them more money.

MFGWATCH调查还询问买家是否正在开发新产品以降低与燃料相关的成本，例如减少组件和中间包装的大小和重量。66％的参与者回应不，而28％的参与者表示他们正在开发新产品。6％的人不知道他们的公司是否正在采取措施开发新产品。

MFG.com buyers were asked if they were developing new offerings that would enable their customers to reduce the fuel costs associated with using their products and services, e. g. more energy efficient. Thirty one percent of respondents stated they were developing new offerings, while 60 percent stated they were taking no steps in this direction.

More than $15 billion worth of manufactured goods have been sourced through MFG.com since 2000, with millions more sourced every day by 160,000 global members, the company says. Manufacturing buyers use MFG.com to source locally or around the globe for qualified suppliers of more than 300 manufacturing processes, including CNC machining, metal stamping, forging, plastic molding, metal fabrication, and metal casting.

MFG.com
www.mfg.com