With economists saying the U.S. is in a recession, the housing market in turmoil and a bear market for stocks, you may expect the U.S. manufacturing sector-including metalworking-to be struggling. Strangely enough, manufacturing seems to be holding its own, helped in part by the weak dollar. U.S. exports should be up 7 percent this year, the energy industry is booming and machine tool orders are growing. As of April, U.S. manufacturing technology consumption was up 19.9 percent year to date compared with the same period a year earlier, according to AMT and AMTDA. U.S. manufacturing expanded in June, with the Institute for Supply Management's index of factory activity rising to 50.2 percent, just above the 50 mark that signals expansion. Is this a "what, me worry?" economy that will eventually turn south for manufacturing, as in 2001? Perhaps, but for now business appears brisk. In June, a sales rep for a major U.S. toolmaker said sales were great in just about every industrial segment except automotive.
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