The machine tool business is one of the industries that is last to benefit from recovery from a recession. Until the idle capacity sitting vacant is deployed in everything from auto to paper mills, no urgency exists to buy machine tools.
...and don't we know it!
This AMT report simply states what those of us in the business already know, we don't have many orders. If it doesn't turn around soon we will be sunk.
Competitors in Gemany, China, India, Japan and Brazil will happily take our remaining customers. I wonder who the governmant (Army and Navy) will buy their machines from?