Products Finishing Index Shows Improvement as New Orders Strengthen
Growing automotive demand and rising future expectations point to a stronger 2025.
The Products Finishing Index improved by 1.8 points overall from October. Source (All Images) | Gardner Intelligence
The Gardner Business Index (GBI) measures the current state of finishing industry activity through survey responses covering new orders, production, backlog, employment, exports and supplier deliveries. A reading above 50 indicates expansion; below 50 indicates contraction.
The finishing industry registered a GBI reading of 45.4 in November 2024, showing improvement from October’s reading. New orders rose to 41.9 while production increased to 42.3, suggesting improved demand particularly from automotive customers as manufacturers adjust production schedules.
The GBI Components Scorecard reports the monthly change rate of primary composites market factors contributing to the overall monthly index reading.
Reading the scorecard
Color indicates where a component value falls relative to 50 for the current month. Green indicates expansion; red indicates contraction.
Shade indicates a value’s distance from 50; the darker the shade, the further from 50.
Direction indicates a value’s change versus the previous time period. Pointing up is always better.
The PF Future Business Index indicates an ongoing positive outlook.
The GBI Future Business Index is an indicator of the future state of the finishing market from industry respondents regarding their opinion of future business conditions for the next 12 months. Over 50 is expansion and under 50 is contraction. The Future Business Index registered 63.5 in November, reflecting strong optimism about 2025 business conditions.
This positive outlook stems from anticipated growth in automotive production and aerospace finishing demand. The recent election’s results fuel this optimism: an increased focus on manufacturing competitiveness could accelerate investment in finishing technologies.
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