June U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $186.57 million according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and the Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was down 2.8% from May’s $191.93 million and up 6.0% when compared with the total of $175.97 million reported for June 2016. With a year-to-date total of $1.095 billion, 2017 is up 5.8% when compared with 2016.

“2017 continues to be a much stronger year for cutting tools than 2016,” said Steve Stokey, president of USCTI. “High consumer confidence is a strong indicator that cutting tools sales will continue to improve through the second half of the year.”

Costikyan Jarvis, president of Jarvis Cutting Tools, commented, “Combining the recent PMI of 56.3, Capacity Utilization of 76.6% and July’s job growth (209,000 jobs), this month’s Cutting Tool Survey result supports our view of a slow, but steady, growth in the economy. While most macro level indicators are sound, there is some uncertainty how global politics (North Korea, Venezuela, etc.), the Federal rate increases, and the diminishing Federal Balance Sheet will affect economies. On a more micro level, automotive and aerospace continue their robust demand, but we would like to see more improvement in areas like housing starts, agriculture and oil. From the cutting tool producers viewpoint, our revenue growth is being driven by the strong market segments while Caterpillar’s recent improved outlook may signal growth in some of the remaining segments.”