(AMT: McLean, VA) -- April U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $410.42 million, according to The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT). This total, as reported by companies participating in the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) program, was down 17.0 percent from March but up 2.9 percent up when compared with the total of $398.73 million reported for April 2011. With a year-to-date total of nearly $1.8 billion, 2012 is up 10.2 percent compared with 2011.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program.

“Year-to-date orders of manufacturing technology are up a solid 10 percent over 2011,” says AMT president Doug Woods. “Manufacturing firms continue to hire, with year-over-year unemployment down from nearly 10 percent in 2011 to a little under 7 percent this year. In the first quarter, U.S. manufacturing technology exports rose consistently and factory productivity increased 5 percent. What remains to be seen is whether overseas instability and possible cooling of domestic investment will disrupt continued growth.”

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