U.S. orders for new machine tools and related equipment dropped 5.8% last June to $426.83 million from the previous month, a 5.7% decrease from the June 2012 total, according to IndustryWeek. The total U.S. year-to-date orders for 2013 were $2,538.55 million, a 5.7% decline compared to the January-June 2012 total.
The data was compiled by the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) from their monthly U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders report. This report examined data on the production and distribution of machine tools including domestic goods and imports.
AMT President Douglas K. Woods reports the machine tools industry is healthy despite the June drop:
It’s typical for orders to experience a modest drop going into the summer months, and we’ve seen this lull in six of the past nine summers. It’s important to remember that in the overall picture, this is a very strong order level. Manufacturing is still the key area driving the economy. With durable goods orders at a record level of $244 billion in June, and the Purchasing Managers’ Index at 55, we expect manufacturing technology orders to hold steady through the end of the year.
The AMT report covered the overall U.S. total in addition to six geographic regions. The North Central-East area was the strongest region delivering $112.90 million, a 9.3% improvement over the May total and a 6.0% increase over the June 2012 total. The region’s January-June total is $654.66 million, down 6.0% compared to the similar timespan in 2012.
June totals in the West region fell sharply by 27.2% during June to $56.91 million compared to $78.15 million during May. The new June figure, however, is a 5.7% increase over June 2012 results. The West region has a year-to-date total of $374.03 million, a healthy 11.7% increase over the January-June 2012 result.
If you’re interested in new LeBlond or K.O. Lee machines or require original OEM parts for your LeBlond, K.O. Lee, Standard Modern, Johnson Press, Deka Drill and W.F. & John Barnes equipment, call LeBlond Ltd. at (888) 532-5663.