US construction machinery shows first quarter gain.

US construction machinery industries show a 5.1 percent first quarter gain over the same quarter last year. According to figures from the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), $1.65 billion worth of US-made equipment was shipped to global markets January through March 2003. Canada increased their imports of US construction equipment by 42.3 percent over first quarter 2002. The top ten export destinations for the first quarter 2003 for US construction equipment were: Canada ($587 million), Australia ($124 million), Mexico ($108 million), Belgium ($88 million), Germany ($52 million), Chile ($49 million), China ($34 million), France ($34 million), South Africa ($33 million) and Brazil ($33 million).