Sales of power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) products by Canadian manufacturers dropped by 12.3 percent in July compared to the previous month, according to July 2010 sales data released by the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) in its Market Outlook Report. Sales by U.S. manufacturers also dropped in the first month of the third quarter by 1.3 percent compared to the previous month.

Although sales dropped in July, sales year-to-date are still ahead of the same period in 2009. In Canada, sales are 10.3 percent ahead of 2009. In the U.S., year-to-date sales are up 7.6 percent over the same period in 2009.

From June 2010 to July 2010, sales of positioning systems/linear motion products by Canadian manufacturers dropped 26 percent; unmounted bearings dropped 20.3 percent; mounted bearings dropped 11.7 percent; gear products dropped 9.5 percent; shaft couplings dropped 3.8 percent; and mechanical drive systems and other PT products dropped 0.1 percent. On the bright side, sales of variable speed drives increased by 5.1 percent, while sales of clutches and brakes jumped 35.6 percent.

The Market Outlook Report is published monthly by the Power Transmission Distributors Association. The full report includes U.S. and Canadian manufacturer data for sales and order trends.

For more information, visit www.ptda.org.