MCLEAN, VA—Sales of machine tools during the first 7 months of 2008 total some $2.65 billion, a 15.5 percent increase compared with the same time period in 2007. According to the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association and AMT—The Association For Manufacturing Technology, sales of machine tools in July 2008 ran to $303.44 million. That’s down 21.5 percent from June sales, but a 5.7 percent increase from July 2007. MORE