MCLEAN, VA – Manufacturing technology orders declined 2.4% sequentially to $329.6 million in November, according to AMT – The Association for Manufacturing Technology. Year-to-date orders were down 5.1% to nearly $3.6 billion compared to the same period in 2015.

The motor vehicle, aerospace and job shop sectors showed increased order activity in the last few months of the year, indicating capital investment in anticipation of a need for additional capacity, the research firm says.

Some economic indicators suggest stronger activity ahead. ISM’s PMI climbed for the fourth consecutive month to 54.7 in December, and new orders and production for US factories rose to their highest levels since 2014. Industry analysts for manufacturing technology predict orders may begin to rebound as early as April.

“While our industry endured some challenges in 2016, bookings for the last few months of the year were better than expected, and early input on January is very promising, particularly in the aerospace and job shop sectors,” said AMT president Douglas K. Woods. “We are seeing improvements in the overall economy, with post-election business confidence on the rise, as demonstrated by strong performance in the financial and equity markets.”

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