December machine tool orders exceeded November figures but were down compared to the same period in 2011, according to a new report.
The December U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) report from The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) showed that equipment orders totaled $499.43 million, up 17.8 percent from November’s $421.83 million total. The December 2012 number, however, was down 9.4 percent from December 2011, but the year-end total for 2012 of $5.706 billion exceeded 2011′s yearly total by 2.6 percent.
The total for 2012 represented a 13-year high, according to the USMTO report. As we noted at the time, September 2012 figures represented a powerful upswing for machine tool order figures, which some ascribed to the most well-attended IMTS in over a decade.
“Finishing 2012 with the highest order total in 13 years certainly confirms the renaissance of U.S. manufacturing,” AMT President Douglas K. Woods said in a statement. “This also shows the resilience of the industry in the face of GDP contraction in the fourth quarter, along with fiscal and political concerns that have been overshadowing much of the general economy.”
The USMTO program uses data supplied by machine tool manufacturers and suppliers throughout the country. The numbers are also broken down by region:
Northeast Region
Total: $74.02 million
Percent change from November: +10.1 percent
Percent change from December 2011: -25.0 percent
Year-to-date (YTD): $789.38 million
Percent change from 2011: -9.0 percent
Southern Region
Total: $78.11 million
Percent change from November: +19.1 percent
Percent change from December 2011: -12.4 percent
YTD: $835.28 million
Percent change from 2011: +12.2 percent
Midwest Region
Total: $166.19 million
Percent change from November: +27.3 percent
Percent change from December 2011: -9.7 percent
YTD: $1,814.51 million
Percent change from 2011: +1.0 percent
Central Region
Total: $125.05 million
Percent change from November: +14.6 percent
Percent change from December 2011: -1.2 percent
YTD: $1,586.85 million
Percent change from 2011: +4.7 percent
Western Region
Total: $56.06 million
Percent change from November: +8.6 percent
Percent change from December 2011: +6.8 percent
YTD: $679.56 million
Percent change from 2011: +6.9 percent
