More Manufacturers Raising E&S Prices, AutoQuotes Data Shows

With strong recent price run-ups in steel and other materials commonly used in foodservice equipment and supplies, it appears E&S manufacturers are becoming somewhat more aggressive about trying to raise their own prices. (For an overview of the recent commodity-price trends, see our story from the last FER Fortnightly.) This follows an almost two-year period during which few manufacturers tried to raise prices, given the very soft market, and kept increases to a minimum when they did.

Data from AutoQuotes Inc.’s e-newsletter for March show a substantially higher number of manufacturers have filed price increases with the electronic catalog during the first four months of 2011 versus the same months last year. While the number of manufacturers that put through price increases in January was only slightly higher than in ’10, almost twice as many filed increases in February as in the same month last year, approximately 60 versus 30. And the number of increases for March and April, while much lower, as also higher than in ’10.

Kent Motes, CEO of AutoQuotes, told FER Fortnightly late last week that he will have more complete details, including relative average increases, shortly.