U.S. machine tool consumption up 22.3% vs. February

March U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $162.94 million, according to AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association, and AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology in a report released on May 11. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTC program, was up 22.3 percent from February but down 71.9 percent from the total of $579.73 million reported for March 2008. With a year-to-date total of $397.56 million, 2009 is down 68.6 percent compared with 2008.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTC program.

“We are pleased that the monthly totals have continued to increase since the historic lows that we saw in January,” said AMTDA president Peter Borden. “This bounce may have been due to year-end inventory sales by some of the large importers, so the next quarter will tell us if we have, indeed, ‘bottomed out’ as we hope. The forecasts for the remainder of 2009 warn that sales will be at least 50 percent below 2008 levels, which we are now approaching; so anything above that will be a plus.”

The United States Manufacturing Technology Consumption (USMTC) report, jointly compiled by the two trade associations representing the production and distribution of manufacturing technology, provides regional and national U.S. consumption data of domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment. Analysis of manufacturing technology consumption provides a reliable leading economic indicator as manufacturing industries invest in capital metalworking equipment to increase capacity and improve productivity.

U.S. manufacturing technology consumption is also reported on a regional basis for five geographic breakdowns of the United States.

Northeast Region
At $29.66 million, March manufacturing technology consumption in the Northeast Region was up 8.7 percent from the $27.29 million total for February but down 61.1 percent when compared with March 2008. The $75.71 million year-to-date total is 59.5 percent less than the comparable figure for 2008.

Southern Region
March manufacturing technology consumption in the Southern Region totaled $18.49 million, 12.4 percent less than the $21.11 million tally for February and off 85.5 percent when compared with last March. The $54.15 million year-to-date total is down 76.8 percent when compared with the same period in 2008.

Midwest Region
Midwest Region manufacturing technology consumption in March rose to $51.79 million, 33.0 percent higher than the $38.93 million February total, but 71.8 percent lower than the total for March a year ago. At $118.78 million, 2009 year-to-date is off 71.1 percent when compared with last year at the same time.

Central Region
With a $44.36 million total, March manufacturing technology consumption in the Central Region was up 47.2 percent when compared with the $30.13 million February figure, but down 65.3 percent when compared with March 2008. The year-to-date total of $99.11 million represents a 66.4 percent drop from the comparable figure for 2008.

Western Region
Western Region manufacturing technology consumption in March totaled $18.65 million, 18.6 percent above February’s $15.73 million but 71.0 percent below the total for last March. With a year-to-date total of $49.80 million, 2009 is down 63.9 percent when compared with 2008 at the same time.
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