U.S. Manufacturing Machinery Orders Climb in February

February 2025 saw a nearly 10% month-over-month rise in metalworking machinery orders, signaling growth in U.S. manufacturing.

Orders for metalworking machinery in the United States totaled $389.9 million in February 2025, marking a 9.9% increase over January and a 12.5% increase compared to February 2024, according to the U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Report from AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology.

Cumulatively, orders for the first two months of 2025 reached $744.74 million, an 8.8% increase over the same period last year. This growth suggests that the industry’s positive forecasts for 2025 may be starting to play out.

Unit sales, which lagged behind order values in 2024, have also rebounded. The number of machines ordered in the first two months of 2025 is 9.6% higher than during the same period in 2024.

Sector Highlights

Contract machine shops, the largest buyers of manufacturing equipment, increased orders by nearly 25% from January. However, their February activity remained below levels seen at the end of 2024.
Aerospace manufacturers reduced the value of orders from January to February, but increased unit purchases slightly—suggesting a focus on expanding capacity. Supporting this trend, capacity utilization in the aerospace and miscellaneous transportation sector exceeded pre-strike levels for the first time since the Boeing machinist strike.
Electrical equipment manufacturers maintained consistent spending levels, but nearly doubled their unit orders in February. Ongoing transformer shortages are keeping order activity high, though future demand may be affected if data center development slows as planned.

Broader Economic Context

The release of new tariff policies by the Trump administration in early April has led to a more cautious economic outlook for 2025. As a result, stock markets declined, reflecting concerns about future corporate earnings.

Some analysts suggest manufacturers may face difficulty passing increased input costs to consumers, especially after extended inflation. In this scenario, investment in new, efficient machinery could help offset costs through productivity gains.

For a deeper analysis of these shifting conditions, AMT will host its Spring Economic Update Webinar on Thursday, May 8.