April U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $372.50 million, according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT). This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 26.6% from March and down 12.6% when compared with the total of $426.44 million reported for April 2012. With a year-to-date total of $1,650.91 million, 2013 is down 7.0% compared with 2012.
“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 United States:
· Northeast Region. Manufacturing technology orders in the Northeast Region in April totaled $72.29 million, unchanged from March’s $72.27 million but up 4.4% when compared with the April 2012 figure. At $251.08 million, 2013 year-to-date is down 4.0% when compared with 2012 at the same time.
· Southeast Region. Southeast Region manufacturing technology orders totaled $35.16 million in April, down 3.3% from the $36.37 million total for March but 1.0% higher than the total for April 2012. The year-to-date total of $139.10 million is 16.3% lower than the comparable figure for 2012.
· North Central-East Region. At $71.30 million, April manufacturing technology orders in the North Central-East Region were down 50.9% when compared with the $145.12 million total for March and down 34.6% when compared with April a year ago. With a year-to-date total of $434.94 million, 2013 is down 2.8% when compared with 2012 at the same time.
· North Central-West Region. April manufacturing technology orders in this region totaled $69.88 million, 34.5% lower than March’s $106.65 million and down 10.3% when compared with the April 2012 figure. At $330.06 million, the 2013 year-to-date total is 2.6% higher than the comparable figure for 2012.
· South Central Region. April manufacturing technology orders in the South Central Region totaled $59.60 million, 10.8% lower than March’s $66.85 million and down 30.7% when compared with the April 2012 figure. At $257.42 million, the 2013 year-to-date total is 28.3% less than the comparable figure for 2012.
· West Region. West Region manufacturing technology orders in April stood at $64.27 million, down 19.6% from the March total of $79.95 million but 30.0% higher than the figure for April 2012. The $238.30 million year-to-date total is 9.1% above the total for the same period in 2012.
