Cost of Raw Goods Going Up
Global events are apparently conspiring to create some increase in the cost of business aircraft interiors.

Global events are apparently conspiring to create some increase in the cost of business aircraft interiors. Ed Harris, director of sales and marketing for Fiber Art of San Antonio, said his company has recently sent letters to its customers advising them that prices this year are going up by about 15 percent. “The composites industry,” said Harris, “is very sensitive to the price of oil, and the price of oil is going up.” Most composites, he pointed out, are petroleum-based, and the price of shipping is rising as the price of gas goes up. Another interior ingredient that is expected to create an increase in costs is the rising demand for steel. Craig Estep, v-p of operations at Cessna, said the cost of steel is going up “dramatically” as a result of the increased demand by a growing economy in the People’s Republic of China. Anticipating a reviving economy, Estep said Cessna has already asked its vendors to keep a 90-day supply in reserve.