December U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $491.89 million according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT). This total, as reported by companies participating in the United States Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) program, was up 9.9% from November and up 11.8% when compared with the total of $439.90 million reported for December 2012. With a year-end total of $4,939.58 million, 2013 was down 5.1% 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.

“With a strong finish to 2013 for manufacturing technology orders, plus strong reports for durable goods, capacity
utilization, and PMI, there is plenty of favorable momentum for the industry going into 2014,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT president. “The average age of corporate fixed assets is at almost 22 years, and interest rates are historically low.This one-two punch is creating a ripe atmosphere for investment in capital equipment, which we anticipate will translate into more great news for manufacturing growth.”

The 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.