According to the 'U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report' published by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, the orders for metalworking machines amounted to a total of $672.7 million in June 2026. This represents an increase of 15.6% compared to May 2026 and an increase of 56.8% compared to June 2025. In the first half of 2026, orders for manufacturing technology totaled $3.44 billion, which corresponds to an increase of 36.0% compared to the first half of 2025.
The first half of 2026 was the strongest half-year in terms of order value for metalworking machines since the start of data collection by the USMTO in 1998. While the order value reached an unprecedented level, the number of machines ordered was 2.6% below the value of the second half of 2025. At least part of these orders contributed to the recent report on U.S. gross domestic product, which indicates that the economy was driven by above-average machine investments from companies for two consecutive quarters. While a significant portion of this growth can be attributed to investments in artificial intelligence, manufacturing technology is undoubtedly an accelerator.
Orders from contract manufacturers continued to rise in the first half of 2026, reaching the highest value for a first half since 1998. However, the number of units decreased by almost 8% compared to the second half of 2025. Although contract manufacturers represent the largest customer segment for manufacturing technology, the volume of machines they ordered in recent years lagged behind the market, as original equipment manufacturers made the necessary investments to handle increased production demands internally rather than outsourcing to contract manufacturers.
The aerospace industry is leading the expansion of internal capacities, ordering the most machines ever in both value and quantity in the first half of 2026. The order value in the first half of 2026 was nearly one-third higher than that of the second half of 2025, and the number of units increased by almost a quarter. As the importance of the space economy grows, backlogs for commercial aircraft continue to rise, and the demand for defense production is becoming increasingly urgent as the country's ammunition stocks are depleted due to the war in Iran.
To meet the growing energy demands of the newly established AI infrastructure, manufacturers of engines, turbines, and power transmission systems have accelerated their orders for manufacturing technology. While the total volume of orders in the first half of 2026 was comparable to the previous three halves, orders in June 2026 were more than double the monthly average since January 2000. This above-average activity led to orders from manufacturers in the power generation and distribution sector being 14% higher than investments in the automotive sector in the first half of 2026.
The first half of 2026 was characterized by several headwinds for corporate investments, including the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran, rising inflation, intensified supply shortages due to the trade war, a new Federal Reserve chairman showing less inclination for 'forward guidance' than his predecessors, and a resurgence of uncertainty regarding tariffs. Despite these challenges, the manufacturing sector has proven resilient: Industrial production metrics have continued to improve, and capacity utilization rates have remained stable at high levels.
The robust economy in manufacturing was at the center of AMT's Summer Economic Forum, where Oxford Economics presented an updated forecast for machine tool orders. The improved forecast assumes that order volume will remain high, with an increase of 1.5% in the second half of 2026, bringing the total order volume for the year to nearly $7 billion. While headwinds are increasing and uncertainty is growing, the manufacturing industry continues to demonstrate its reliability. With the upcoming IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show – the sky no longer seems to be the limit for how far manufacturing technology can go.
Contact:
