Regional manufacturing improved in April

Manufacturing in the Midwest kicked up a notch during April, according to surveys of companies’ purchasing managers.

An index generated by Creighton University from the survey results climbed to 52.7 from 51.4 in March. Any reading above 50 shows expansion in manufacturing activity.

Nationally, the Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing survey produced a 51.5 index for April, which was unchanged from March. The new reading above 50 is the 28th in a row, showing growth for that span.

The regional uptick was matched in Kansas, where the statewide index climbed to 51.2 from 50.7 in March, and in Missouri, where April registered 54.4 up from 52.1 in March.

Energy and agriculture in the region continued to slow, said Ernie Goss, director of the university’s Economic Forecasting Group.

“Growth in Oklahoma and North Dakota, two energy-producing states, is approximately one-third to one-half of what it was one year ago. That growth is likely to move even lower in the months ahead as the strong U.S. dollar slows growth even more,” Goss said in Creighton’s announcement.

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 9:16 AM with the headline "Regional manufacturing improved in April."