MCLEAN, Va.—On the heels of setting a half-year record at the end of June, new orders of metalworking machinery, measured by the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, totaled $605.8 million in July 2026.
This represents an 8.0 percent decrease from June 2026 and a 55.2 percent increase over July 2025, AMT said in a release. It is also reported to be only the second time since USMTO began collecting data in 1998 that orders have exceeded half a billion dollars for five consecutive months.
“Through the first seven months of 2026, manufacturing technology orders totaled $4.03 billion, a 37.1 percent increase over orders placed through July 2025,” according to AMT.
While the value of orders grew by more than one-third, the number of units ordered through July 2026 rose just 13.0 percent compared with the same period in 2025. Although the market for metal cutting machinery has experienced modest inflationary pressures over the last two years, the difference between the growth rates of order value and unit volumes is largely attributable to sustained growth in demand for additional automation, AMT said in the release.
“The decline in orders from June to July 2026 was driven by a pullback in investment from several customer industries, with one of the largest reductions coming from manufacturers of engines, turbines, and other power transmission equipment,” the release stated. “For the past two years, manufacturing technology orders from this sector have exceeded the long-run average by more than 35 percent, as demand on electrical grids has intensified.”
Despite the decline in orders from manufacturers of power generation equipment, manufacturers of the components that allow homes and businesses to use that power continued their capital investment. Electrical equipment manufacturers were reported to have increased orders in July 2026 to the year’s highest monthly level and the second-highest since March 2024, as they attempt to meet surging demand to update and augment the current grid infrastructure and meet increased demand from new construction, including data centers.
Even in very closely related sectors, the need for manufacturing technology does not move in tandem, according to the release. Amid a mild decline in new orders, several areas of opportunity are said to exist.
“Manufacturers in the forging and stamping sector increased orders to the highest level since December 2012,” the release stated. “While increased investment from forging and stamping signals the strength of the U.S. industrial sector, a more promising sign is that investment from contract machine shops is beginning to outpace the overall market.
“From June to July 2026, the value of orders from job shops declined by only 1.3 percent, and the number of units ordered increased by over 2 percent, indicating a growing need for additional manufacturing capacity.”