May U.S. manufacturing technology orders were up 3.1 percent compared to April, and up 21.8 percent compared to May 2016 according to The Association for Manufacturing Technology. Orders for May 2017 totaled $351.8 million, up from $341.3 million in April. Year-to-date orders total $1,667.2 million, up 7.4 percent from the same point in 2016.

 “As we’ve now seen year-over-year growth for four consecutive months, and with that growth acceleration, all signs indicate a continued trend of strength for the manufacturing technology industry,” said AMT vice president, strategic analytics Pat McGibbon. “With activity growing in many geographic regions and continued strengthening in key industries like job shops, autos and aerospace, all of this suggests the market will continue to grow and stay strong for the coming months.”