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Economic uncertainty appears to be taking its toll on the U.S. manufacturing industry.
The PMI, an index used to measure the strength of the industry, dropped to 50.8 percent in October, according to the latest report from the Institute for Supply Management. That marks the third time in four months that the reading has been less than a percentage point away from being negative. The PMI in September stood at 51.6.
Manufacturing is critical to the Dayton region because it represents 100,000 employees in the 12-county region surrounding Dayton and contributes $4.7 billion in annual payroll and $32 billion in annual sales, according to a Wright State University study commissioned by the Dayton Region Manufacturers Association, or DRMA.
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