MCLEAN, VA-October 2006 U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $368.62 million, according to The Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT), and the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association. This total, as reported by companies participating in the United States Manufacturing Technology Consumption (USMTC) program, was down 9.9% from September, but up 41.4% from the total of $260.6 million reported for October 2005. With a year-to-date total of $3,188.07 million, 2006 was up 27.9% compared with 2005.

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

“It has been two years since there has been two consecutive months with year-over-year growth as strong as this September and October,” says John B. Byrd III, AMT president. “This indicates that manufacturing technology equipment order growth is accelerating, not slowing.”

The 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.