Any doubts about the conveyor market's health have been put to rest by the latest figures from the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association (CEMA). For the fourth consecutive year, conveyor shipments in North America rose in 2006, topping 2005 levels by 5.9 percent.

The group estimates that shipments totaled $7.45 billion for 2006, an increase of $420 million over 2005, when manufacturers shipped $7.03 billion of equipment. This strong showing follows a 5.7 percent increase in 2005.

New orders, meanwhile, totaled $7.46 billion for 2006, which represents a $212 million, or 2.9 percent, increase over 2005's new orders.

CEMA tracks new orders and shipped sales volume in seven classes of unit handling equipment and five classes of bulk handling equipment.