Machine Tool Consumption Up 38.4%

In August, US machine tool consumption amounted to $225.52 million, according to AMT-The Association For Manufacturing Technology (McLean, VA), and the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association (AMTDA, Rockville, MD). This number, reported by companies that participate in the US Machine Tool Consumption program, was up 6.4% from July and up 54.2% from the total of $146.27 million reported for August 2003. With a year-to-date total of $1778.59 million, 2004 is up 38.4% compared with 2003.

Jointly compiled by the two trade associations, the USMTC report provides regional and national consumption data on domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment. Machine tool consumption in the US is also reported on a regional basis for five geographic breakdowns.

August machine tool consumption in the Northeast Region totaled $31.39 million, up 5.0% when compared to July's $29.89 million, and 20.6% ahead of August 2003. At $259.45 million, year-to-date machine tool consumption has increased 48.0%.

In the Southern Region, machine tool consumption in August was $32.62 million, 17.6% less than July's $39.59 million, but up 34.8% when compared to last August. Year-to-date, the total consumption of $270.92 million is a 5.4% drop when compared to the same time last year.

At $80.96 million, the August machine tool consumption in the Midwestern Region was 1.6% higher than July's $79.72 million, and 58.9% higher than the total for August 2003. With a year-to-date total of $710.59 million in consumption, the year 2004 is running 46.5% ahead of 2003 at the same time.

Central Region machine tool consumption in August, at $44.06 million, was 20.8% ahead of July's $36.49 million, and up 67.3% from the August 2003 report. Totaling $309.22 million, year-to-date 2004 machine-tool consumption was 47.3% higher than the comparable figure for 2003.

In the Western region, August machine tool consumption reached $36.48 million, up 39.1% compared to the $26.22 million total for July, and 94.4% higher than the August 2003 total. At $228.40 million, year-to-date 2004 is an impressive 77.9% ahead of the same period in 2003.