Industrial Conference Takeaways from Top CEOs

Baird's 53rd annual Global Industrial Conference brought to light various dynamics that are top of mind for Industrial CEOs as we head into 2024. We hosted 324 presenting companies and 2,640 attendees in-person in Chicago as well as a virtual private company track.

Baird's Global Industrial Investment Banking team is pleased to share our key takeaways and 2024 outlook as CEOs are cautiously optimistic and focused on what is in their control.

Key Takeaways

• Mixed end market demand with strength across commercial aerospace, defense, data center construction and U.S. municipal / infrastructure
• Mixed regional demand with the U.S. driving marginal organic growth, while Europe and China are contracting
• Secular growth themes are integral to organic growth in today's environment
• Normalization of supply chain issues, inflation and pricing
• Operational improvement, supporting record profitability for most industrial subsectors
• Strong M&A appetite as industrial corporates take advantage of lower competition from private equity