Friday, July 12, 2013

Manufacturing technology orders up 13.6 percent in May

New orders for manufacturing technology jumped up 13.6 percent to $430.06 million in May compared to April, bringing the year-to-date total to about $2.09 billion, according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology.

"A rise in U.S. manufacturing technology orders is welcome as we move into the summer months, which are typically soft," said Patrick W. McGibbon, AMT vice president of industry intelligence.

Even with the surprise surge, the month's orders are still down 7.6 percent year over year and total 2013 orders are down 6.9 percent. Nevertheless, McGibbon is hopeful about the coming months.

"New technologies are creating change in automotive production, while many aerospace manufacturers are making shifts within their supply chains," he said. "Contract machining is also seeing growth thanks to the cost advantages of manufacturing within the U.S. Meanwhile, foreign direct investment within the U.S. continues to increase, and all of these factors are contributing to new capital investment within manufacturing."

For more of the Industry Week story: industryweek.com

More Techwire stories

"Spotter" app to protect whales from ship strikes

CargoSphere develops technology to track carrier contract amendments

Global Cold Chain Alliance holds operations course in Peru

Follow an e-commerce robot minion through its workday (video)

Click to browse past stories on these topics:

Logistics

Ports & Infrastructure

Economic Outlook

Environmental Impact

Technology