The Southeast Michigan Purchasing Managers Index dipped one-tenth of a point in December to 51.8 from 51.9 in November. "The Southeast Michigan PMI has maintained a value over 50 for 33 of the past 34 months, indicating a steady strengthening of the regional economy," said Timothy Butler, associate professor of supply chain management at Wayne State's business school. "The majority of purchasing managers responded that the economy will remain about the same or become more stable over the next six months," said Ken Doherty, a member of the Institute for Supply Management and assistant vice president for procurement and strategic sourcing at Wayne State University. "The 'fiscal cliff' was on the minds of purchasing managers, who worry about the impact on the regional economy. Now that it has been averted, it will be interesting to see if or how that reflects in next month's PMI."

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/01/03/purchasing-managers-december-index-shows-growth-in-production-jobs/
http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2013/01/03/business/doc50e5e1fdba046066350261.txt
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20130103/NEWS/130109953/southeast-michigan-purchasing-managers-index-remains-stable