September U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $403 million according to AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was up 6.1 percent from August orders and down 25.6 percent from September 2016 order level.
With a year-to-date total of $3,184.7 million, 2017 was up 5.4 percent when compared with 2016.
These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program.
The rough edges of the recovery continued to expose themselves. Aerospace and medical equipment, chief contributors to new capital equipment investment over the past eight months, were down 26 percent and 40 percent respectively from August. Order activity from the automotive industry had been weak during the third quarter but rose 11 percent in September, surprising some analysts who had expected auto orders to remain weak till December.
“While there is recovery in market conditions for manufacturing technology, it’s at a more gradual pace than typically seen due to a sentiment of caution around manufacturing,” said Doug Woods, president of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. “Manufacturers are concerned about Washington’s impact on economic growth and pace of technological change, as well as the general evolution in technology. It is necessary for companies to invest in current technologies to stay competitive, but they’re doing so at a moderate pace.”
Regionally, the North Central West, Southeast and Northeast regions as reported by USMTO benefited from strong activity in contract machining shops, forging and stamping, automotive, and consumer electronics. Notably, orders from the consumer electronics and computers sector were up 132 percent nationally. The West region also saw gains in September, driven by contract machining shops and regional activity in aerospace.
The key leading indicators for manufacturing technology are positive and AMT analysis suggests an acceleration in order activity at the close of 2017. AMT staff are available to provide further insight on economic and technology trends for the manufacturing industry.
For more detail on U.S. manufacturing technology orders, including data on a regional basis for six geographic breakdowns, download the PDF below.
