U.S. Cutting Tool Orders Surge

May U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $191.93 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 14.2 percent from April’s $168.03 million and up 15.5 percent when compared with the total of $166.25 million reported for May 2016. With a year-to-date total of $908.04 million, 2017 is up 5.8 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 cutting tool Industry is feeling the strong activity, supported by May’s positive numbers,” says Brad Lawton, the chairman of AMT’s Cutting Tool Product Group. “As domestic manufacturing growth is projected to continue, 2017 will be a much better year for the cutting tool industry.”

“Cutting tool orders surged in May, growing at their fastest rate since December 2014,” noted Steve Kline Jr., the director of market intelligence at Gardner Business Media. “The GBI: Metalworking index continued to grow at an accelerating rate in June. Since it leads cutting tool orders by about six months, we expect cutting tool orders to grow at an accelerating rate for at least the remainder of 2017. Also, durable goods new orders, another excellent leading indicator of cutting tool orders, has shown continual improvement in 2017.”

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