U.S. Cutting Tool Orders Bounce Back

August U.S. cutting tool consumption totaled $175.21 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 19.2 percent from July’s $146.95 million and up 4.3 percent when compared with the total of $167.91 million reported for August 2015. With a year-to-date total of $1.352 billion, 2016 is down 8.3 percent when compared with 2015.

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 welcomed a 19.2 percent bounce back from a very weak July. Although this is good news, questions still loom over the strength of the overall economy moving forward,” says Steve Stokey, the president of USCTI. “The third largest attendance ever at IMTS 2016, combined with a record number of exhibitors, certainly is a sign that the industry is optimistic that there are better times ahead.”

Following the newly announced quarterly forecasting report and webinar available only to AMT and USCTI member participants, Scott Hazelton, the Managing Director of Economics & Country Risk at IHS Markit, Ltd. (London, UK) adds, “Revenues will improve for the U.S. Cutting Tool industry in 2017, with growth approaching double digits for the year as a whole. The remainder of 2016 will continue to be challenging, with headwinds from weak oil prices, an inventory cycle and the high dollar. However,  next year will feature steadily stronger conditions for several key industries that demand cutting tools, particularly in energy, chemicals and technology, and because cutting tools are consumed with industrial production, they can recover more quickly than investment goods. Demand for cutting tools will easily outpace growth in the overall economy as well as equipment spending in 2017 and 2018.”

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.

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