Industry briefs
One-page margin intelligence for your industry. MSI trends, input cost drivers, peer benchmarks, and the actions that follow from them. Updated monthly.
What's in a brief
One page. Three things a manufacturing leader can actually act on before the next pricing meeting.
Dual index system
The Material Cost Index (MCI) measures input cost pressure. The Margin Squeeze Index™ (MSI) measures margin squeeze. Together they tell you whether your industry is absorbing cost increases or passing them through — two very different situations that look identical on a single-line cost chart.
12-month trends
Where your industry is heading, not just where it is today. Level tells you how it feels right now; the trend tells you whether to move on price this quarter or wait. Inflection points show up here before they hit the P&L.
Actionable recommendations
SKU-level and segment-level actions, reviewed by consultants with direct experience in the industry. Surcharge timing, pass-through sequencing, which contracts to reopen. Not generic advice to monitor the situation.
Movers on the left, actions on the right — the whole brief on one page
An illustrative layout for a building products brief. The figures below are examples of the format, not current readings — live values ship in the dated monthly brief.
Illustrative example — not a current reading
Input cost movers
- Lumber+3.5% MoM
- Resin+2.1% MoM
- Energy−1.2% MoM
Recommended actions
- Review the surcharge on resin-based products
- Lock lumber pricing for the coming quarter
- Accelerate pass-through on new quotes
Exhibit — illustrative brief layout, building products
Choose your industry
Nine manufacturing industries are scored every month. Six have a dedicated practice page — start there, or ask for any of the nine directly.
Metals & Machining
Hot-rolled coil, aluminum, and scrap spreads. The most tariff-exposed input stack in US manufacturing.
Automotive
Steel and aluminum component pressure, tier pass-through terms, and program-price rigidity.
Building Materials
Lumber, gypsum, cement, and resin against housing starts and repair-and-remodel demand.
Chemicals & Plastics
Natural gas and feedstock economics against output prices that lag on the way down.
Industrial Manufacturing
Broad-based input inflation with mixed demand signals — the hardest environment to price in.
Medical Devices
Resin, precision metals, and regulatory cost load against GPO-constrained pricing.
Operating across several segments? Ask for the complete set — or subscribe to the monthly Pulse and receive updated briefs automatically.
How each brief is built
Automated where automation is honest. Reviewed by a human where judgment is required.
01
Data collection
51 FRED economic series, BLS Producer Price Indices, and commodity feeds. Refreshed monthly with automated quality checks on every series before anything is published.
02
Industry analysis
Industry-specific input weightings, MCI and MSI calculation, 12-month trend computation, and peer benchmarking against the Margin Quotient™ set of 1,231 scored companies.
03
Expert review
Recommended actions are reviewed by ADEXMA consultants with direct industry experience. Every brief is human-validated before it goes out. No brief ships on model output alone.
The rest of the intelligence suite
The Margin Squeeze Index™
How the index is built, what the five pressure bands mean, and which nine industries are scored every month.
Competitive intelligence
Your industry is squeezed — but what are competitors actually doing about it? Price index, spec normalization, channel waterfall.
For chambers & trade orgs
ChamberPulse — the same briefs, white-labeled under your organization's brand for your members.
Want more than a brief?
The industry brief shows what is happening in your industry. The free 15-minute Margin Scan shows where you sit against 1,231 scored companies — and a discovery call shows what is happening in your own company.