美国机床产业竞争力分析：生产与消费全景图

TRELYSA LONG|DECEMBER 2025 Machine tools are key to and indicative of the health of a nation’s manufacturing sector. TheUnited States lags behind in both the production and consumption of machine tools, especially KEY TAKEAWAYS The machine tools industry enables national power. U.S. machine tool production as ashare of GDP ranked 25th out of 29 and 70 percent below the global average in 2022. Machine tool consumption indicates the technological sophistication of a nation’s In 2022, the United States ranked 8th out of 28 nations as a share of manufacturing That same year, the U.S. machine tool trade balance was 14th out of 24 nations, withthe United States running a significant trade deficit. Policymakers should seek to double machine tool production and consumption in the CONTENTS Key Takeaways................................................................................................................... 1Introduction....................................................................................................................... 2Machine Tools Production ................................................................................................... 4Machine Tools Output as a Relative Share of Durable Goods Manufacturing Workers ............. 6Metal-Forming Machine Tool Production ........................................................................... 8Metal Cutting Machine Tool Production........................................................................... 10Machine Tools Consumption.............................................................................................. 13Machine Tool Consumption as a Relative Share of Durable Goods Workers.......................... 17Metal-Forming Machine Tool Consumption ...................................................................... 19 INTRODUCTION The machine tool industry is important for national competitiveness and power. At the same Machine tools are used not only to cut or form metal parts for final products such asautomobiles, but also to make machines that are used in a vast proportion of manufacturingindustries. For example, machine tools can be used to make metal parts for an automobile, butthey can also be used to make robotic arms and joints for the micro-assembly of chips in a However, the U.S. machine tool industry is relatively weak. While the United States was one ofthe largest producers in machine tools in the early 1980s, with about 20 percent of the world market, U.S. firms, such as Cincinnati Milacron and Browne and Sharpe, declined quickly overthe next few years, resulting in more than two-thirds of firms closing.1Japan, Germany, and Italysurpassed the United States in machine tool production and became world leaders.2Meanwhile, United States ranked fifth at $5.9 billion.”3As a result, the United States imports a vast This report analyzes U.S. machine tools production and consumption compared with other topeconomies. First, the report uses an analytical statistic known as a location quotient (LQ), whichmeasures the production value of machine tools as a share of a country’s gross domestic product(GDP) relative to the global average concentration. Then the report examines other relativeindicators of machine tool production, such as production value per worker in the economy or per While the United States was one of the largest producers in machine tools in the early 1980s, withabout 20 percent of the world market, U.S. firms, such as Cincinnati Milacron and Browne and Sharpe, On the consumption side, the report analyses the relative consumption value of machine tools asa share of a country’s GDP, labor force, manufacturing workers, and durable manufacturingworkers. The report also examines U.S. consumption of metal cutting and metal forming tools. It There are strengths and weaknesses to each of the concentration indicators in this analysis. (See MACHINE TOOLS PRODUCTION Machine tools production plays an essential role in a nation’s manufacturing capabilities andefficiency because manufacturing industries, especially the durable goods ones, require machinetools for efficient production. Indeed, a RAND study highlights that “machine-tool makersworldwide typically sell their newest products close to home … a weak domestic machine-toolindustry means that U.S. manufacturers risk losing access to the latest manufacturingtechnologies … the industry helps foster innovation in manufacturing processes.”4Machine tool China, a major rival of the United States, produced 80 percent more in machine tool value than theglobal average and 6.5 times more than the United States did in 2022. In 2022, the United States’ machine tool production LQ ranked 25th out of 29 nations with thehighest machine tool production. Indeed, the United States’ LQ was 0.3, indicating that theproduction value of machine tools as a share of GDP was 70 percent below the global average. Incomparison, China, a major rival of the Uni