Description of Industries and Summary of Findings

INDUSTRY 3812, SEARCH AND NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT

This industry is made up of establishments primarily engaged in
manufacturing search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and
nautical systems and instruments. Important products of this industry are
radar systems and equipment; sonar systems and equipment; navigation
systems and equipment; countermeasures equipment; aircraft and missile
control systems and equipment; flight and navigation sensors, transmitters,
and display; gyroscopes; airframe equipment instruments; and speed, pitch,
and roll navigational instruments and systems. Establishments primarily
engaged in manufacturing aircraft engine instruments or meteorological
systems and equipment, including weather tracking equipment, are classified
in industry 3829. Products of this industry also are collected in the
Current Industrial Report (CIR) MA-38B, Selected Instruments and Related
Products. For information regarding the CIR, see Contacts for Data Users at
the end of the Census of Manufactures section.

The 1992 definition of this industry is the same as that used in the 1987
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system. The SIC number and title
also are the same.

In the 1992 Census of Manufactures, Industry 3812, Search and Navigation
Equipment, had employment of 255.0 thousand. The employment figure was 31
percent below the 369.4 thousand reported in 1987.  Compared with 1991,
employment decreased 9 percent. The 1991 data are based on the Census
Bureau's annual survey of manufactures (ASM), which is a sample survey
conducted each year between censuses.

The leading States in employment in 1992 were California, Texas, New York,
and Florida, accounting for approximately 51 percent of the industry's
employment. These same States were the leaders in 1987 when they accounted
for 53 percent of the industry's employment.

The total value of shipments for establishments classified in this industry
was $35.3 billion.

Establishments in virtually all industries ship secondary products as well
as products primary to the industry in which they are classified and have
some miscellaneous receipts, such as resales and contract receipts.
Industry 3812 shipped $30.0 billion of search and navigation equipment
products considered primary to the industry, $2.9 billion of secondary
products, and had $2.3 billion of miscellaneous receipts, resales, and
contract work. Thus, the ratio of primary products to the total of both
secondary and primary products shipped by establishments in this industry
was 91 percent (specialization ratio). In 1987, the specialization ratio
was 89 percent.

Establishments in this industry also accounted for 87 percent of products
considered primary to the industry no matter where they were actually
produced (coverage ratio). In 1987, the coverage ratio was 90 percent.

The products primary to industry 3812, no matter in what industry they were
produced, appear in file MC92F6A and aggregate to $34.4 billion. For
further explanation of specialization and coverage ratios, see file MC92F5B
and the appendixes.

The total cost of materials, services, and fuels and energy used by
establishments classified in the search and navigation equipment industry
amounted to $10.1 billion. Data on specific materials consumed appear in
file MC92F7.

Single-establishment companies in this industry with less than 10 employees
were excluded from the mail portion of the census. The data for these
establishments (and a small number of larger establishments whose reports
were not received at the time the data were tabulated) were obtained from
administrative records of other agencies or developed from industry
averages. These establishments accounted for 4 percent of the total value
of shipments.