Domestic Workholding Shipments Rose in Q4 2009

Jan. 28, 2010
Still down year-on-year, but both domestic shipments and exports increased over Q3

The Association for Manufacturing Technology’s Advanced Workholding Technology Group reports that 4Q 2009 shipments of workholding technology totaled $46.2 million. It signified an 8.0% increase over 3Q 2009 domestic workholding equipment shipments, and a 81.9% increase over 3Q 2009 for U.S. export shipments.

However, the fourth-quarter 2009 figures represent a 19% decline versus shipment totals for the comparable period in 2008 for the 38 companies the participate in the AWT statistical report.

Companies in AMT’s Advanced Workholding Technology Group produce chucks, jaws, collets, vises, fixtures, and other workholding equipment.

Shipments of workholding equipment in the Midwest increased by 18.1% from the third to the fourth quarter of 2009, the largest domestic region for machining technology. It represents 41.7% of total domestic shipments.

Shipments to the Northeast fell 0.3% in the fourth quarter; it remained the second-largest domestic market with 18.3% of domestic shipments in the fourth quarter.

Central region shipments rose 25%, moving it ahead of the Southern region for the third-largest share of domestic shipments. The West is the smallest domestic market, recording a 21.1% decline from third to the fourth quarter, less than 10% of all domestic shipments for the first time in six quarters.

AWT further reported that fourth-quarter 2009 employment levels fell 0.5% from 3Q 2009, down 19.0% compared to 4Q 2008.