U.S. Gulf Coast to See $44 Billion in Industrial Project Starts in 2012

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Industrial concerns in the U.S. Gulf Coast region are scheduled to kick off $44 billion of capital and maintenance projects this year. Energy projects account for about 60% of this amount. On Wednesday, February 15, experts from the Oil & Gas, Petroleum Refining, Chemical Processing, Metals & Minerals and Electric Power industries will present their 2012 outlooks for North American industrial spending and job creation, with special emphasis on the five-state U.S. Gulf Coast region and its largest industries. The executive briefing will be held at the Hilton Americas Hotel, 1600 Lamar, in downtown Houston. The event will run from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Ballroom of the Americas on the hotel's second floor.

This executive briefing will be hosted by Industrial Info Resources, a Sugar Land-based global industrial market-intelligence firm. The briefing is complimentary and includes a networking reception where participants can speak with Industrial Info's industry experts. Attendance is limited to 500 people and requires an RSVP. Interested executives are encouraged to register in advance by calling Industrial Info's member services department at 800-762-3361 or by clicking here.

"At the 2012 Industrial Market Outlook, we'll showcase experts from the industries that have significant operations in the Gulf Coast region," said Michael Bergen, Industrial Info's executive vice president. "Despite macroeconomic uncertainty, the energy market has performed quite well over the last couple of years in terms of project expenditures. We expect this to continue in 2012. The Gulf Coast region will benefit from the wet-gas shale plays in the area, from drilling to product distribution and storage. We do expect to also see an increase in activity coming from electric power generation projects, chemical plants and refineries.

"Our 2012 Industrial Market Outlook is a must-attend event for business leaders and decision-makers in Texas and the southwestern U.S. who have interests in the energy, industrial process and heavy manufacturing markets," Bergen added.

Industrial Info is tracking more than 900 capital and maintenance projects scheduled to kick off this year in the Gulf Coast region. These projects have a total investment value (TIV) of $44 billion. Energy-related projects account for the overwhelming majority of scheduled project spending in the five-state region, according to Industrial Info's project-spending data. Specifically:

• The Power Industry is scheduled to begin work on $3.9 billion of projects this year.


• The Oil & Gas Industry--including Production, Transmission and Terminals--is scheduled to kick off $13.2 billion of projects in 2012.


• Chemical Processing companies have scheduled $4.7 billion of capital and maintenance projects to begin this year.


• Petroleum refiners have confirmed they will begin work on $1.8 billion of projects in 2012.


• Metals & Minerals companies have scheduled $3.2 billion of projects to kick off this year.

"The U.S. economic recovery continues to move forward in fits and starts, but our industrial project-spending data confirm that the Gulf Coast industrial economy will continue growing this year," Bergen said. "Several multibillion-dollar energy projects are scheduled to kick off in this region this year, many related to the natural gas industry. While low gas prices make life difficult for gas producers, other industrial firms like petrochemical manufacturers are growing today because the price they pay for natural gas has fallen more than 75% since mid-2007. Also, we are seeing a surge in project activity to process and transport natural gas out of the Eagle Ford Shale."

The gradual recovery of the overall North American industrial economy is also shown in the number and value of projects that have been reactivated after being put on hold or cancelled, Bergen noted. Over the last 12 months, Industrial Info has documented the restart of more than $180 billion in North American industrial projects. "Across the continent, hundreds of industrial projects that were inactive, postponed or cancelled are today operating, or being engineered or built, because consumer demand rose and input costs fell," he said.

Attendance at the Outlook briefing is open to business leaders, including C-level executives, vice presidents, directors and marketing and sales professionals at engineering & construction firms, general contractors, architect and engineering firms, industrial equipment vendors, oil and gas companies, utilities, consultants, manufacturers' representatives, financial services firms, labor organizations, and professional-services firms.

"The new year presents new opportunities and new trends that will be discussed by our experts at our 2012 Industrial Market Outlook," Bergen said. "We have documented growth in industrial project spending as companies replenish inventories and start new capital and maintenance projects. This event and our online 2012 Global Industrial Outlook provide decision-makers with up to the minute, forward-looking, market intelligence that gives them a vital edge to better plan for their future business-development efforts."

The 2012 Global Industrial Outlook is Industrial Info's 19th annual report that analyzes data and trend analyses of current and future industrial project spending opportunities across 12 global industrial markets. This annual forecast provides comprehensive spending forecasts for 2012 and provides ongoing analysis of major project spending, new plant start-up activity, and plant closures. The online report includes quarterly updates throughout the year, plus historical spending statistics going back five years.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, and eight offices outside of North America, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.