Profit margins continue to expand, at 6 percent in January compared to 3.7 percent a year ago. Overall, private manufacturing appears to be off to a strong start in 2013, and we'll continue to monitor their performance in comparison to the monthly durable goods orders.

The full Private Company Report by Sageworks for January 2013, including in-depth data on privately held manufacturing companies, can be found, by clicking here.

Source: Sageworks