December U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $401.2 million according to AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was up 20.4 percent from November, but down 21.5 percent from December 2014.
For all of 2015, the year’s total orders were $4.2 billion, down 17.4 percent compared to 2014.
While the month-to-month gain seemingly indicates an upturn for the manufacturing technology market, it is important to note that the average November-to-December gain since 2010 has been 22.4 percent – meaning that the end of 2015 came in below average.
“The fourth quarter turned out better than anticipated thanks to investment from the aerospace, automotive and consumer electronics industries, but the overall market will remain flat through the first three quarters of this year due to market forces like the strong dollar and low oil prices,” said AMT President Douglas Woods. “It’s typical for December orders to rise as many companies invest their year-end profits into new equipment, and technology builders and suppliers try to reduce their inventories with discounted products. This uptick in orders does not change our forecast for the year.”
For more detail on U.S. manufacturing technology orders, including data on a regional basis for six geographic breakdowns, download the PDF below.
