U.S. Cutting Tool Orders Jump in January

January U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $173.05 million according to the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI; Cleveland, OH) and AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology (McLean, VA). This total, as reported by companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) collaboration, was up 8.7 percent from December’s $159.17 million and up 8.7 percent when compared with the total of $159.22 million reported for January 2016. With a year-to-date total of $173.05 million, 2017 is up 8.7 percent when compared with 2016.

These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals reported by the companies participating in the CTMR program. The totals here represent the majority of the U.S. market for cutting tools. “The early numbers for the first month of 2017 support the optimistic feelings that are growing in the domestic manufacturing market,” said Brad Lawton, the chairman of AMT’s Cutting Tool Product Group. “For the export of U.S. made cutting tools, it is hoped that the strength of the U.S. dollar and the Trump administration trade policies will not destroy this potential business. We must all wait and see the numbers at the end of the first quarter.”

“The latest data indicate cutting tool shipments are on a somewhat firmer footing in early 2017,” added Gregory Daco, the chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. “The overall trend in durable goods orders and shipments points to firming activity after a lackluster 2016 performance. Likewise, most leading manufacturing indicators show improving domestic and global confidence levels. President Trump’s pro-growth fiscal agenda should stimulate activity by year-end and into 2018, though his protectionist and anti-immigration agenda represent notable downside risks.”

The Cutting Tool Market Report is jointly compiled by AMT and USCTI, two trade associations representing the development, production and distribution of cutting tool technology and products. It provides a monthly statement on U.S. manufacturers’ consumption of the primary consumable in the manufacturing process – the cutting tool.  Analysis of cutting tool consumption is a leading indicator of both upturns and downturns in U.S. manufacturing activity, as it is a true measure of actual production levels. Historical data for the Cutting Tool Market Report is available dating back to January 2012. This collaboration of AMT and USCTI is the first step in the two associations working together to promote and support U.S.-based manufacturers of cutting tool technology.

www.USCTI.com, www.AMTonline.org