WWEMA Member Market Survey Reflects Sales Increases

The Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association (WWEMA) has released the results of its 2021 WWEMA Member Market Indicators Survey. The survey tracks the business activity or anticipated activity of manufacturers and their representatives within the water and wastewater market for two annual periods in the following eight business areas: S Design Work S Quotations S Bookings/Orders S Domestic Sales S International Sales S Company Employment S Materials Costs S Industry Market Growth

Strong Growth

The results of the survey show that the outlook for the water and wastewater industry remains strong, with generally positive across-the-board expectations. Despite the challenging economic conditions posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey confirmed widespread positive domestic sales growth, with approximately 85 percent of respondents indicating growth for the period of September 2020 through August 2021. The data also showed solid sales growth, with one-third of respondents indicating growth of 5 percent.

Future Challenges

The domestic sales outlook for the next oneyear analysis period (September 2021 to August 2022) is overall equally positive. Not surprisingly, with supply chain and labor challenges, all companies in the survey reported material cost increases, with over half reporting costs rising 10 percent. Only 11 percent of companies reported a decline in their booking/orders for the September 2020 to August 2021 period, with approximately three-quarters of respondents reporting growth in the 5 to 10 percent range.

It’s important to note that the survey data were collected at the end of the third quarter in 2021, before the discovery of the Omnicron variant and before the expansive new Buy America requirements, which became law last year when the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 was passed.

Report Available

The full detailed report for each market indicator, which has specific growth rates for the current and future evaluation timeframes, as well as differences between data reported by manufacturers and their representatives and a comparison with the prior year’s survey, is available exclusively for WWEMA members.

Since 1908, WWEMA has informed, educated, and provided leadership on the issues that shape the future of the water and wastewater industry. The association’s member companies supply the most-sophisticated, leading-edge products and technologies, offering solutions to every water-related environmental problem and need facing today’s society.

For more information, visit www.wwema. org. S