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March U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $197.6 million, according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report Machining Inserts (CTMR) collaboration, was up 9.8 percent surface milling cutters from February’s total and up 4.6 percent from the same time in 2014.

“As we close the first quarter of 2015, strong cutting tool shipments in March prove that this year’s economic outlook remains solid for our industry,” says Brad Lawton, chairman of AMT’s Cutting Tool Product Group. He adds that while these data support recent positive trends in machine tool orders and durable goods manufacturing, “there is a possible caution in the industry regarding the increasing value of the dollar and the potential impact on exports.”