Motion control and power transmission sales up in Canada

Sales of power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) products by Canadian and American manufacturers grew for the second consecutive month in September. Canadian manufacturers’ sales rose 10.4 percent, according to September 2010 sales data released by the Power Transmission Distributors Association (PTDA) in its Market Outlook Report. U.S. sales were up 1.4 percent.

In Canada, sales are 13 percent ahead of 2009, while U.S. year-to-date sales are up 11.9 percent over the same period in 2009.

Confidence in the market by U.S. manufacturers rose from 4.8 in August to 4.9 on a scale of one (very pessimistic) to 10 (outstanding). Canadian manufacturers’ confidence decreased slightly from 5.2 in August to 5.1 in September.

In Canada, a drop in sales of variable speed drives was offset by huge increases in the sales of gear products, positioning systems/linear motion products and shaft couplings. According to the report: sales of variable speed drives are down 20.6 percent; clutches and brakes are up 1.1 percent; unmounted bearings are up 1.9 percent; mechanical drive systems and other PT products are up 7.3 percent; mounted bearings are up 11.7 percent; gear products are up 26.7 percent; positioning systems/linear motion products are up 47 percent; and shaft couplings are up 50.1 percent.

In comparison, month-to-month sales for product categories between August 2010 and September 2010 for U.S. are: variable speed drives are down 10.9 percent; positioning systems/linear motion products are down 8.3 percent; standard industrial motors are down 2.5 percent; clutches and brakes are down 1.8 percent; gear products are up 0.4 percent; mechanical drive systems and other PT products are up 1.5 percent; shaft couplings are up 3.2 percent; unmounted bearings are up 3.4 percent; and mounted bearings are up 8.2 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 mounted bearings, unmounted bearings, standard industrial motors (U.S. only), variable speed drives, positioning systems/linear motion products, gear products, clutches and brakes, shaft couplings, and mechanical drive systems and other PT products. 

www.ptda.org