December U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $506.89 million according to The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was up 32.7 percent from November and up 4.7 percent when compared with the total of $484.08 million reported for December 2013. With a year-to-date total of $5,079.05 million, 2014 was up 3.1 percent compared with 2013.
“The momentum we saw in manufacturing toward the end of 2014 is fueling optimism for 2015, with many major manufacturers saying they plan to hire more and invest more throughout the coming months,” said AMT President Douglas K. Woods. “The 3.1 percent gain in orders for the year was in line with our yearly forecast. While there are reasons for caution — a rising dollar, falling oil prices, and a shortage of skilled workers — overall we feel that the U.S. economy will continue to improve its fortunes through the first half of 2015 and manufacturing will see a measure of restrained growth.”
Northeast Region
December manufacturing technology orders in the Northeast Region totaled $82.87 million, 26.9 percent higher than the $65.32 million tally for December 2013. Year-to-date orders of $798.68 million were 1.2 percent less than the comparable figure for 2013.
North Central-East Region
North Central-East Region manufacturing technology orders in December stood at $165.27 million, a rise of 72.6 percent when compared with November’s $95.74 million and up 20.0 percent when compared with the $137.70 million total for December 2013. The 2014 year-to-date total of $1,370.52 million was 6.6 percent higher than the 2013 total at the same time.
North Central-West Region
At $77.83 million, North Central-West Region manufacturing technology orders in December were up 13.2 percent compared with November’s $68.79 million. The 2014 year-to-date total of $886.59 million was 3.8 percent less than the comparable figure for 2013.
South Central
December manufacturing technology orders in the South Central Region stood at $49.43 million, off 22.5 percent from November’s $63.75 million. At $764.37 million, 2014 year-to-date orders were running 2.2 percent ahead of 2013 at the same time.
