April U.S. manufacturing technology orders were $372.5 million according to The Association for Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 26.6 percent from March and down 12.6 percent from April 2012. With a year-to-date total of $1.7 billion, 2013 is down 7 percent 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.
“Order totals leveled off to the averages we’ve seen so far this year, but they aren’t out of line with analyst predictions,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT president. “Likewise, the Purchasing Manager’s Index recently dropped below 50 – indicating contraction within manufacturing – but hiring continued to expand throughout the industry. With auto sales strong, the housing industry showing signs of a true rebound, and consumer confidence on the rise, we expect to continue seeing steady but slower activity.”
U.S. manufacturing technology orders are also reported on a regional basis for six geographic breakdowns of the U.S.
Northeast Region
Manufacturing technology orders in the Northeast Region in April were $72.29 million, unchanged from March but up 4.4 percent when compared with the April 2012 figure. At $251.1 million, 2013 year-to-date is down 4 percent when compared with 2012 at the same time.
Southeast Region
Southeast Region manufacturing technology orders were $35.16 million in April, down 3.3 percent from the $36.4 million total for March but 1 percent higher than April 2012. The year-to-date total of $139.10 million is 16.3 percent lower than the comparable figure for 2012.
North Central-East Region
At $71.3 million, April manufacturing technology orders in the North Central-East Region were down 50.9 percent when compared with March and down 34.6 percent when compared with April a year ago. With a year-to-date total of $434.9 million, 2013 is down 2.8 percent when compared with 2012 at the same time.
North Central-West Region
April manufacturing technology orders in the North Central-West Region were $69.9 million, 34.5 percent lower than March’s $106.7 million and down 10.3 percent when compared with the April 2012 figure. At $330.1 million, the 2013 year-to-date total is 2.6 percent higher than the comparable figure for 2012.
South Central Region
April manufacturing technology orders in the South Central Region were $59.6 million, 10.8 percent lower than March’s $66.9 million and down 30.7 percent when compared with the April 2012 figure. At $257.42 million, the 2013 year-to-date total is 28.3 percent less than the comparable figure for 2012.
West Region
West Region manufacturing technology orders stood at $64.3 million, down 19.6 percent from the March total of $79.95 million but 30 percent higher than April 2012. The $238.3 million year-to-date total is 9.1 percent above the same period in 2012.
