As China's second-largest export destination for injection molding machines, the United States showed a smaller appetite in the first four months of the year.
According to Chinese customs data, China exported 287 injection presses to the United States from January through April, with total sales valued at $23 million. The units are down 9.5 percent compared to a year ago, and sales are off by 7.8 percent.
The decline in units is slightly more significant than the dollar number, possibly indicating a higher average price that might be related to the tonnage or features of the machines.
Overall, China's exports of injection presses grew 11.1 percent year-on-year by units and 6.2 percent by sales in the first four months of 2015, according to the customs data.
(For more statistics on U.S. machinery demand, see SPI reports moderate growth in US machinery sales.)