Chris is currently the Principal Economist at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ – The Association for Manufacturing ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ where he examines trends in the overall economy that affect the demand for manufacturing technology. For over five years, Chris has managed surveys which compile the data necessary to get a full picture of the U.S. manufacturing landscape. Prior to ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, Chris held varied roles in data analytics, research, sales, and marketing in an array of industries and settings. Chris holds a master’s degree in economics from The American University.
Chris is currently the Principal Economist at ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ – The Association for Manufacturing ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ where he examines trends in the overall economy that affect the demand for manufacturing technology. For over five years, Chris has managed surveys which compile the data necessary to get a full picture of the U.S. manufacturing landscape. Prior to ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, Chris held varied roles in data analytics, research, sales, and marketing in an array of industries and settings. Chris holds a master’s degree in economics from The American University.
Orders of manufacturing technology totaled $357.3 million in January 2025, down 29.8% from December but up 5.7% from January 2024. While the order value was 16.2% higher than an average January, the units ordered were the lowest for any January since 2016.
Shipments of cutting tools, measured by the Cutting Tool Market Report compiled in a collaboration between ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ and USCTI, totaled $179.5 million in December 2024, down 2% from November 2024. Shipments totaled $2.43 billion for 2024, down 0.6% from 2023.
Orders of manufacturing technology, measured by the USMTO report published by ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, totaled $513.8 million in December 2024, the highest level since March 2023. This showed an increase of 15% from November 2024 and was 5.4% behind December 2023.
Just as early humans’ original tools were constrained by their power sources, today’s modern technological advances are limited by their access to sufficient and reliable supplies of electricity.
Shipments of cutting tools, measured by the Cutting Tool Market Report compiled in a collaboration between ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ and USCTI, totaled $183.1 million in November 2024. Orders decreased 13.8% from October 2024 and were down 9.7% from November 2023.
Orders of manufacturing technology, measured by the USMTO report published by ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, totaled $448.8 million in November 2024. These orders for metalworking machinery increased 16.8% from October 2024 and 12.4% from November 2023.
Shipments of cutting tools, measured by the Cutting Tool Market Report compiled by ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ and USCTI, totaled $212.5 million in October 2024, a 12.6% increase from September 2024 but down 0.2% from October 2023. Year-to-date shipments totaled $2.07 billion.
Orders of manufacturing technology, measured by the USMTO report published by ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ, totaled $385 million in October 2024, a 14.5% decrease from September. Year-to-date orders reached $3.74 billion, a decline of 7.5% compared to the first 10 months of 2023.
This article will explore how demand for automation responded to historic shifts, the impact on manufacturing jobs, and what impacts these shifting trends have had on productivity.
With demand for manufactured goods surging after 2020 and high rates of job openings persisting due to a labor shortfall, more manufacturers are turning toward automation – and reversing the post-recessionary trend of declining manufacturing productivity.