New orders for metal cutting, forming and fabricating machinery (manufacturing technology) totaled $444.9 million in April, according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology’s monthly Manufacturing Technology Orders Report (USMTO).

That total fell 12.7% from March but marked a 40.0% increase year-over-year. 

Year-to-date, orders placed through April totaled $1.69 billion, up 17.8% from a year earlier.

The USMTO noted that April orders typically post a monthly decline by about 21% since March tends to see outsized order volumes due to many machinery manufacturers ending their fiscal year. The April decline represents the lowest monthly drop since April 2022. AMT added that some of this strong demand could be attributed to the front-loading on imported goods ahead of tariff impacts and the expectations of increased demand for domestically sourced goods and components.

Despite declines in overall manufacturing output in April, machinery manufacturers increased production by 0.3%, continuing an upward trend that began in October 2024.

 The April report also shared the following:

• Orders from contract machine shops— the largest customer segment for manufacturing technology orders — showed signs of continuing demand with an April decline of only 6.3%, while the overall market fell by more than twice that
• Primary metal manufacturers increased orders to their highest level since February 2024
• Orders from aerospace manufacturers dropped by nearly half from March but remained slightly above their 2024 monthly average

“Demand held the industry’s upward momentum through April, and learning the true impact of recent tariff announcements could take some time due to their erratic implementation,” the report said. “The (NAM’s) recently released Manufacturer’s Outlook Survey showed a steep decline in respondents reporting an optimistic economic outlook compared to their previous survey. Despite this waning optimism, the survey also reported that capital investments are still expected to rise modestly over the next 12 months, albeit at a lower level than projected earlier in the year.”