March U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $507.91 million according to AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was up 30.4% from February and up 3.2% when compared with the total of $491.96 million reported for March 2012. With a year-to-date total of $1,278.05 million, 2013 is down 5.0% compared with 2012. These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program. “When making a year-over-year comparison with these figures, it’s important to take into account just how strong 2012 was for our industry. Our members are doing much better than analysts projected in January,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT President. “With vehicle sales and housing starts on the upswing, we can anticipate that gains in the consumer economy will also mean buoyancy for the industrial economy, and manufacturing will remain steady for the foreseeable future.” 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.
U.S. manufacturing technology orders are also reported on a regional basis for six geographic breakdowns of the United States.
Northeast Region
Manufacturing technology orders in the Northeast Region in March totaled $71.99 million, up 31.8% from February’s $54.61 million but down 3.2% when compared with the March 2012 figure. At $177.37 million, 2013 year-to-date is down 6.5% when compared with 2012 at the same time.
Southeast Region
Southeast Region manufacturing technology orders totaled $36.07 million in March, up 20.2% from the $30.02 million total for February but 38.7% lower than the total for March 2012. The year-to-date total of $103.65 million is 21.1% lower than the comparable figure for 2012.
North Central-East Region
At $145.53 million, March manufacturing technology orders in the North Central-East Region were up 29.4% when compared with the $112.49 million total for February and up 19.1% when compared with March a year ago. With a year-to-date total of $363.91 million, 2013 is up 7.5% when compared with 2012 at the same time.
North Central-West Region
March manufacturing technology orders in the North Central-West Region totaled $105.93 million, 30.1% higher than February’s $81.43 million and up 21.4% when compared with the March 2012 figure. At $259.46 million, the 2013 year-to-date total is 6.5% higher than the comparable figure for 2012.
South Central Region
March manufacturing technology orders in the South Central Region totaled $66.04 million, 15.0% higher than February’s $57.41 million but down 18.4% when compared with the March 2012 figure. At $197.00 million, the 2013 year-to-date total is 27.9% less than the comparable figure for 2012.
West Region
West Region manufacturing technology orders in March stood at $82.36 million, up 54.2% from the February total of $53.41 million and 20.5% higher than the figure for March 2012. The $176.65 million year-to-date total is 4.6% above the total for the same period in 2012.
