U.S. and Canadian manufacturers posted a slight increase in October sales, according to the Power Transmission Distributors Assn.'s most recent Market Outlook Report.

U.S. makers of power transmission and motion control products saw sales rise 0.6 percent compared to September, marking a third straight month of growth. In Canada, PT/MC manufacturers saw sales rise 0.8 percent, marking a second straight month of growth.

Though month-to-month sales are growing in both regions, October year-to-date sales remain down. In the United States, sales are down 28.2 percent compared with October 2008; in Canada, year-to-date sales are off 27.2 percent, PTDA said.

U.S. manufacturers reported growth in six out of nine product categories in October: mounted bearings; mechanical drive systems and other PT products; positioning systems/linear motion products; shaft couplings; unmounted bearings; and variable speed drives.

Canadian manufacturers reported growth in four out of nine categories: variable speed drives; gear products; clutches and brakes; and standard industrial motors.

Looking ahead, U.S. manufacturers' confidence remains in a negative position, PTDA said. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being most optimistic, U.S. manufacturers' confidence has been stalled at 4.7 for four months. Canadian manufacturers' confidence spiked in October, however, rising to a neutral position of 5, its best ranking since July 2008.

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