We provide a manufacturing service to over 200 customers spread over many industries. I have customers in oil/gas drilling, petrochem, aerospace, industrial supplies, gate hardware, marine supplies, automotive, and other industries.
Aerospace got hit hard beginning a year ago. Oil/gas is up because some of the hardware is going to the BP cleanup.
However, I can tell from the number of orders in-house how the economy is doing. The number of bids I make indicates where the economy is going. The number of desperate men coming by looking for work has increased too.