Machine Tool Orders Slow in July, But Up YTD

According to the Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT), July U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $449.69 million, which was down 2.3% from June and down 10.5% when compared with the total of $502.33 million reported for July 2011. AMT said with a year-to-date total of $3,132.23 million, 2012 is up 5.4% compared with 2011.

“It is typical for orders to slow during July and August. That slowdown is even more pronounced in summers ahead of IMTS (the International Manufacturing Technology Show) as manufacturers attending the show wait to take their manufacturing technology ‘shopping lists’ with them to Chicago,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT president. “With more than 90,000 registrants for IMTS this year, we fully expect order activity to come back strong in the months after the show.”

U.S. manufacturing technology orders are also reported on a regional basis for five geographic breakdowns of the United States.

Northeast Region

July manufacturing technology orders in the Northeast Region totaled $64.01 million, 1.2% more than June’s $63.23 million and up 9.2% when compared with the July 2011 figure. At $441.46 million, the 2012 year-to-date total was 1.3% more than the comparable figure for 2011.

Southern Region

Southern Region manufacturing technology orders in July stood at $63.87 million, 27.1% less than June’s $87.59 million and down 20.1% when compared with July a year ago. At $450.89 million year-to-date, the 2012 total is up 12.0% when compared with 2011 at the same time.

Midwest Region

Manufacturing technology orders in the Midwest Region in July totaled $138.64 million, up 2.7% from June’s $135.06 million but down 7.8% when compared with the July 2011 figure. The year-to-date total of $1,006.66 million is 1.1% more than the comparable figure for 2011.

Central Region

Central Region manufacturing technology orders totaled $113.43 million in July, down 16.1% from the $135.12 million total for June but up 6.8% when compared with the total for July 2011. At $906.26 million, 2012 year-to-date is up 15.8% when compared with 2011 at the same time.

Western Region

At $69.74 million, July manufacturing technology orders in the Western Region were up 77.4% when compared with the $39.31 million total for June but down 34.9% when compared with July a year ago. With a year-to-date total of $326.97 million, 2012 is down 7.9% when compared with 2011 at the same time.