March U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $544.62 million, according to AMTDA, the American Machine Tool Distributors’Association, and AMT -The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTC program, was up 84.4% from February, and up 36.1% from the total of $400.19 million reported for March 2007. With a year-to-date total of $1,183.75 million, 2008 is up 16.4% compared with 2007.

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

The March consumption numbers, as well as the first quarter as a whole, clearly demonstrate that the investment …