McCLEAN, VA--U.S. machine tool sales in January totaled $246.15 million. That's a decrease of 17 percent compared with December sales and a decrease of 22.4 percent compared with January 2000 sales.

According to the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) and the American Machine Tool Distributors' Association, machine tool sales for the year 2000 totaled $5.9 billion--0.8 percent more than 1999 sales.

"Investment in productivity-generating technology in 1998 and 1999 is down more than 25 percent from the pace that created the wealth and well-being of the period from 1993 to 1998," says Don F. Carlson, president of the AMT. "With productivity and economic growth both slowing, I hope Congress and the Federal Reserve take decisive actions, such as enacting capital cost recovery reform, that invigorate investment in manufacturing technology."