4th Quarter Workholding Shipments Down from 2008 Levels

At $46.2 million for fourth quarter 2009, shipments of workholding equipment were down 19.0 percent from fourth quarter 2008 according to the Advanced Workholding Technology (AWT) Group of AMT ? The Association For Manufacturing Technology (McLean, VA). Workholding equipment shipments within the United States by the 38 companies participating in the AWT statistical report totaled $37.4 million while exports amounted to $8.8 million.

The report from the AWT shows that domestic workholding equipment shipments increased 8.0 percent and U.S. exports increased 81.9 percent from third quarter 2009. The Midwest increased 18.1 percent from third quarter and remained the largest domestic destination with 41.7 percent of total domestic shipments. Shipments to the Northeast fell 0.3 percent, but it was still the second largest domestic market with 18.3 percent of domestic shipments in the fourth quarter.

Growth in the Central region was 25 percent, moving it above the South for the third largest share of domestic shipments. The West remained the smallest domestic market with a 21.1 percent decline from third quarter leaving it with less than 10 percent of domestic shipments for the first time in six quarters. Additionally, fourth quarter 2009 employment levels were down 0.5 percent from third quarter 2009 and down 19.0 percent when compared to the fourth quarter of 2008.

The Advanced Workholding Technology Group is comprised of AMT members that produce chucks, jaws, collets, vises, fixtures, and other workholding equipment. The AWT operates as a forum to serve the interests of U.S. manufacturers of workholding equipment. The overriding goal of the AWT is to develop ways to better serve the workholding customer, and to implement programs to help the workholding community in this endeavor.

While AWT members must be members of AMT, any OEM workholding manufacturer or U.S.-based company that is a sole distributor of a foreign-built workholding product line may participate in the AWT statistical program. The Workholding Market Data Report is the only accurate, timely source of detailed statistics on workholding equipment for marketing and planning purposes.

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