April’s orders totalled US$384.81 million, an 8.1 percent decrease from March’s figure of $418.67 million. Compared to that of March 2014, orders have dropped by one percent. The current year-to-date total of $1,458.90 million is 8.5 percent lower than that compared to the same period last year.
The numbers and data from the report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO programme.
AMT President Douglas K Woods commented: “Right now capital equipment makers are feeling the effects of a stronger dollar, which creates a drag on exports, and lower oil and natural gas prices, which means less spending on equipment investments from the energy industry.”
Despite this, he believes the industry will recover with time. “Imported components for capital equipment are costing less, and businesses will accumulate savings from fuel prices in the coming months, meaning more money for capital investment.”
He foresees that investment in manufacturing will remain steady, and overall performance for the year will be as strong as that of the past two years.
