Machine tool consumption slumps - Materials Outlook - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

CHICAGO -- U.S. machine tool consumption totaled $156.17 million in November, down 16.6 percent from a revised $187.27 million the previous month and 46.6 percent below the $292.5 million in November last year, according to a joint report by the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association, Rockville, Md., and the Association for Manufacturing Technology, McLean, Va. "Congressional dithering over economic revitalization has added uncertainty to an already weak capital investment environment," said Don F. Carison, AMT president. "Congress must focus on a revitalization package that will create jobs and encourage productivity-enhancing investments. Congress needs to take action on a meaningful economic stimulus package when it gets back to work next week." Machine tool consumption in the first 11 months of last year totaled nearly $2.5 billion, down 32.9 percent from more than $3.72 billion in the same year-earlier period.