Industry > Business & Financial Indexes
Machine Tool Lease Delinquencies Close to a Record Low
"In January, the delinquency rate on machine tool leases was close to a record low, while the rate on home mortgages reached a 4-year high. Shops are uniformly in good financial shape," commented Harry Moser, President of Agie Charmilles Corp. (See Figure 1.)
Type of Debt |
30 Day Delinquency Rate |
Machine Tool Leases |
<2% |
Credit Cards |
4.6% |
Home Mortgages |
2.1% |
|
Figure 1
The Agie Charmilles Machining Business Activity Index increased to 69 in January from 66 in December. The Index is created by surveying machine tool users concerning their current business level versus three months earlier (October '06). Any reading above 50 indicates that business activity has improved. The Index was inaugurated in October 2004 and is the only known monthly index of business in the U.S. machining industries. Business activity was strongest in the plastic injection molds and medical sectors and in the Midwest region. Historical data is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2
In January, the 30-day delinquency rate on machine tool leases approached the lowest levels on record and remained less than 2%, which is much lower than the 4.6% credit card or the 2.1% home mortgage delinquency rates. The AgieCharmilles/USBEF Machining Industry Financial Strength Index was 417, vs. 323 in November 2006, 370 in January 2006 and 55 in January 2002, the worst reading on record, and 438 in June 2005, the best reading on record. Any reading above 100 indicates that US Bancorp Equipment Finance's (USBEF's) machine tool lease payment delinquencies (a good measure of machine tools users' liquidity and consistent profitability) are at a rate below the average rate of 1990 to 1999. As profitability rises, liquidity rises, delinquencies fall and the Index rises. Historical data is shown in Figure 3 and is available at the AgieCharmilles Corporation URL mentioned above.
Figure 3
The approximately 126,000 U.S. companies that use machine tools have about 2 million machine tools and 750,000 to 1,000,000 directly related employees (toolmakers, machinists, operators, programmers, etc.). Almost all mid-size to large manufacturing companies use, and periodically purchase or lease, machine tools. Thus, these indices give timely insight into the condition of U.S. manufacturing. The Machining Business Activity Index is a coincident indicator of this key manufacturing sector. The Financial Strength lags business activity and leads capital investment.
Business Machining Index by Geographic Region
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Survey responses are sorted geographically, using the same regional breakdown as does the USMTC (US Machine Tool Consumption) survey which is provided by AMT and AMTDA. |
Business Machining Index by Business Category
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Survey responses are also sorted by the primary Business Category of the respondent, defined by the kind of workpiece that is machined. |
About Agie Charmilles
Agie Charmilles, a Swiss company, is the North American leading supplier of wire EDM, CNC, diesinking and manual EDM systems and high speed/performance and 5-axis CNC milling machines. For more information on the company's products and services, contact Gisbert Ledvon, Agie Charmilles, 560 Bond St., Lincolnshire, IL 60069-4224, Tel: 1-800-CTC-1EDM. Gisbert.Ledvon@AgieCharmilles.us, Fax: 847-913-5340, or visit http://www.gfac.com/us.
About US Bancorp Equipment France
The Machine Tool Finance Group of US Bancorp Equipment Finance (USBEF) offers manufacturers and vendors, flexible and competitive lease financing for metal cutting, fabrication and plastics and wood manufacturing equipment. As a subsidiary of U.S. Bank, USBEF is one of the largest bank-affiliated equipment finance companies in the nation. Telephone (800) 255-8029 ext. 492.
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Business & Financial Indexes
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