Monday Manufacturing Round-Up:

As the second month of 2014 begins, a new champion in the NFL has been crowned (and an entire city didn’t sleep for a night), and we move forward into the thick of things with disappointing numbers in public construction. Manufacturing stocks are on a bit of a downward slope as well, while some car manufacturers are seeing better numbers than expected. On to the links:

• January was not a great month for manufacturing in the US. Reuters is reporting, that the ISM index is showing its lowest ratings since May 2013. A decrease in public construction hasn’t helped, however private construction has stayed steady through the month.
• While January may have been a little more tough than what was hoped for, Housing Wire has a break down of where the construction industry has struggled, and flourished. Even though there was a slight increase in overall business in December, the levels of building spending is equivalent to the levels that we saw in March of 2009.
• If you’re looking to increase the value of your home, while lowering your electricity bill, installing solar panels is one way to achieve both goals. However, some older houses have some limitations as to what kind of additions you can make. Renewable Energy World has a list of guidelines to consider when thinking about making solar panel additions to your home.
• The one industry that has outpaced others in our economic recovery, the automotive industry, has companies with mixed reviews. Chrysler’s sales numbers grew in January, while GM and Ford took a slight decrease.
• And finally, Manufacturing.net has a story of a local brewery fighting to use drones to deliver beer to fisherman on Minnesota lakes. That is customer service at its finest.

As always, a happy and productive Monday to you all, and congratulations Seattle!