Take Misumi, a Tokyo distributor of factory automation tools and metal molds used for casting parts.

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In a building nearby, workers in navy-blue uniforms use computer-aided designs from Tata engineers to create tools and dies used to make those sheet-metal stampings.

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Sweden's Sandvik (6.6, SDVKY) fell 70% in the bear market as the recession whacked sales of its metal-cutting, mining and construction tools as well as specialty alloys based on titanium and zirconium, used in thousands of applications like boiler tubes and flanges.

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