As a provider of sophisticated instrumentation and controls to pretty well every manufacturing industry on the planet, Spectris was always going to be among the first engineers to feel the effects of a downturn
In the end, though, last year turned out to go not quite as badly as some had feared. The slowdown in US manufacturing hit its industrial controls division, where North America accounts for more than 70 per cent of sales. China has been slowing for Spectris, though it says the appetite of Chinese businesses to invest in environmental technology, automation and R&D and to improve their industrial base is still there. Markets such as Russia and Brazil were always going to be tough.
Against this, India was strong, as were parts