Quality is on the rise, according to Quality Magazine’s 8th Annual Spending Survey conducted by Clear Seas Research. Compared to three years ago, 66% of respondents said that quality has an increased importance or the highest importance and that they are aggressively pursuing top quality performance.

Respondents plan on spending $3.2 billion in the upcoming year to help achieve these top levels of quality. For 28% of the respondents this is an increase over their 2007 budgets, while quality budgets will remain the same for 64% of the respondents.

$315.4 million is expected to be invested in gages and gaging systems in 2008. Seventy-eight percent of respondents indicated they plan on buying handheld measuring tools including calipers, micrometers and indications to the tune of $106.6 million. Nearly $30 million is projected to be spent on plug and ring gages according to 41.5% of respondents. Another $26.5 million is earmarked for thread gages.

When it comes to test, measurement and inspection services, the majority of respondents, 89%, plan on investing in calibration services, while 39% will invest in lab testing and 30.3% will spend money on materials testing services. Q

For information, pricing and a full list of spending projections included in the comprehensive study to be released in January 2008, “2008 Quality Spending,” please contact John Thomas at (248) 786-1659 or e-mail thomasj@bnpmedia.com.