Courtesy of AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology.
Total US Manufacturing Technology orders Through July 2012

US Manufacturing Technology Orders Climb 3.4% in August

Oct. 8, 2012
“With U.S. manufacturers still working through five months’ worth of backlogs along with what seemed to be exceptional order activity at IMTS this September, we may very well see a record year for USMTO over and above the last peak in 2011,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT President.

August U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $470.44 million according to AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was up 3.4% from July but down 4.7% when compared with the total of $493.60 million reported for August 2011. With a year-to-date total of $3,606.56 million, 2012 is up 4.1% compared with 2011.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program.

“It’s a great sign for the industry to see both month-to-month and year-over-year gains in August, historically one of the slowest months for orders,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT President. 

“With U.S. manufacturers still working through five months’ worth of backlogs along with what seemed to be exceptional order activity at IMTS this September, we may very well see a record year for USMTO over and above the last peak in 2011.”

The United States Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) report, compiled by the trade association representing the production and distribution of manufacturing technology, provides regional and national U.S. orders data of domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment.

Analysis of manufacturing technology orders provides a reliable leading economic indicator as manufacturing industries invest in capital metalworking equipment to increase capacity and improve productivity.

Regional Breakdown

Northeast Region: Manufacturing technology orders in the Northeast Region in August totaled $49.18 million, down 23.9% from July’s $64.60 million and down 24.4% when compared with the August 2011 figure. At $490.68 million, 2012 year-to-date is down 2.0% when compared with 2011 at the same time.

Southern Region: Southern Region manufacturing technology orders totaled $64.77 million in August, a 1.0% increase from the $64.11 million total for July and 11.7% more than the total for August 2011. The year-to-date total of $515.92 million is 12.0% more than the comparable figure for 2011.

Midwest Region: At $152.95 million, August manufacturing technology orders in the Midwest Region were up 11.0% when compared with the $137.74 million total for July and up 6.6% when compared with August a year ago. With a year-to-date total of $1,158.02 million, 2012 is up 1.6% when compared with 2011 at the same time.

Central Region: August manufacturing technology orders in the Central Region totaled $124.49 million, 4.8% more than July’s $118.77 million but down 30.0% when compared with the August 2011 figure. At $1,036.10 million, the 2012 year-to-date total was 7.8% more than the comparable figure for 2011.

Western Region: Western Region manufacturing technology orders in August stood at $79.04 million, 13.5% more than the July total of $69.65 million and 60.5% higher than the figure for August 2011.  The $405.85 million year-to-date total was 0.4% above the total for the same period in 2011.

About the Author

Travis M. Hessman | Editor-in-Chief

Travis Hessman is the editor-in-chief and senior content director for IndustryWeek and New Equipment Digest. He began his career as an intern at IndustryWeek in 2001 and later served as IW's technology and innovation editor. Today, he combines his experience as an educator, a writer, and a journalist to help address some of the most significant challenges in the manufacturing industry, with a particular focus on leadership, training, and the technologies of smart manufacturing.

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