(AMT: McLean, VA.) -- The resurgence of manufacturing following the crash of 2008 is unprecedented. The most current U.S. manufacturing technology orders put the year-to-date total at $4.5 billion, which is up 80.5 percent compared with 2010 and are the second-highest dollar amount in the last 15 years. As of October 2011, manufacturing technology orders had surpassed the total value accumulated in 2007.

“It’s long been recognized that analysis of manufacturing technology orders provides a reliable leading economic indicator because it is an indicator that manufacturing firms are investing in capital equipment to increase their capacity and improve productivity,” says Douglas K. Woods, president of The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT). “Manufacturing technology provides a foundation for all other manufacturing. These machines and devices are the equipment that turn raw materials such as steel, iron, plastic, ceramics, composites, and alloys from their original state as stock materials into what will become durable goods such as airplanes, cars, and appliances, as well as consumer and other goods that are used every day.”

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