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30.03.2005
December U.S. machine tool consumption totalled $314.47 million US, a 9.8-percent increase over the same period in 2003.
The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) and the American Machine Tools Distributors Association (AMTDA) report that December U.S. machine tool consumption totalled $314.47 million US, a 9.8-percent increase over the same period in 2003.
The figures are part of the U.S. Machine Tool Consumption (USMTC) program; a joint statistical program carried out by the two associations.
Companies participating in the USMTC program reported total 2004 sales of slightly over $3 billion US, a 43.6-percent increase over 2003.
"December’s spike in orders illustrates the incentive for renewing our product assets created by the 50-percent expense allowance," says AMT president John B. Boyd III. "Allowing it to expire at the end of 2004 will damage American manufacturers’ ability to remain competitive in an increasingly cost-conscious matter."
The USMTC program is designed to provide regional and national consumption data of domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment. Analysis of machine tool consumption provides a reliable leading economic indicator as manufacturing industries invest in capital equipment to increase capacity and improve productivity.
The program is divided into five geographic regions—northeast, southern, midwestern, central and western.
The midwestern region was the largest consumer with total sales of $1.163 billion US, while the western region was the smallest with $386.75 million US in sales.
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