Sales of power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) products by U.S. and Canadian manufacturers grew in August, after a decline in July, according to August 2010 sales data released by the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) in its Market Outlook Report. Canadian manufacturers' sales were up 2.6 percent, while U.S. sales were up 7.6 percent.
 
In Canada, year-to-date sales are up 12 percent ahead of 2009. In the U.S., sales are up 10.2 percent over the same period in 2009.
 
Canadian manufacturers' confidence rose to 5.2 on a scale of one (very pessimistic) to 10 (outstanding), back from a drop to 4.9 in July. After three months at the neutral position of 5.0, confidence in the market by U.S. manufacturers dropped to 4.8. 
 
Month-to-month sales for product categories between July 2010 and August 2010 for Canadian manufacturers are: positioning systems/linear motion products are down 46.4 percent; shaft couplings are down 32.3 percent; mounted bearings are down 14.3 percent; clutches and brakes are down 8.2 percent; mechanical drive systems and other PT products are up 0.1 percent; gear products are up 7.5 percent; unmounted bearings are up 9.3 percent; and variable speed drives are up 49.3 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/MOR.