New orders of metalworking machinery in the U.S. rose by over 36% in August to the third-highest monthly total on record, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report from the Association for Manufacturing Technology.
The August order total of $732.9 million was up 36.3% year-over-year and 21% compared to July levels. It also brought the year-to-date total to $4.76 billion — up 36.9% compared to the first eight months of 2025.
AMT officials noted that the growth continues a nearly two-year period of expansion in metalworking machinery, which has largely been powered by demand from OEMs — particularly the aerospace sector — as well as by added automation capabilities in new machinery.
The latest report, however, noted that orders from contract machine shops exceeded the market overall.
“If the resurgent demand for manufacturing technology from job shops marks the beginning of a sustained trend,” wrote AMT Principal Economist Christopher Chidzik, “order activity for the remainder of the year could exceed expectations.”
