At $58.3 million for third quarter 2010, shipments of workholding equipment were up 47.1 percent from third quarter 2009, according to the Advanced Workholding Technology (AWT) Group of AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology. Workholding equipment shipments within the United States by the 38 companies participating in the AWT statistical report totaled $48.6 million while exports amounted to $9.7 million.
The report from the AWT shows that domestic workholding equipment shipments increased 5.2 percent and U.S. exports increased 16.8 percent from second quarter 2010. The Midwest increased 0.4 percent from second quarter 2010 and remained the largest domestic destination with 40.9 percent of total domestic shipments. Growth in the Central region was 0.4 percent, remaining the second largest share of domestic shipments, with 18.8 percent domestic share. Shipments to the Northeast fell by 0.4 percent, remaining the third largest domestic market with 16.0 percent of domestic shipments in the third quarter. The South had 14.0 percent of third quarter 2010 domestic shipments, an increase of 0.2 percent from the previous quarter. The West remained the smallest domestic market again and decreased by 0.6 percent from the second quarter leaving it with 10.4 percent share. Additionally, second quarter 2010 employment levels were up 1.6 percent from second quarter 2010 and increased by 4.7 percent when compared to the third quarter of 2009.
The Advanced Workholding Technology Group is comprised of AMT members who 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.