October U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $459.16 million according to AMT. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 31.3% from September and down 0.1% when compared with the total of $459.41 million reported for October 2011. With a year-to-date total of $4,753.68 million, 2012 is up 5.3% compared with 2011. These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program. “Orders continue to be on pace for a record-setting year, and a monthly drop was fully expected in the month following IMTS,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT President. “While manufacturing continues to play a strong role in economic recovery, our main concern heading toward the end of the year is that lawmakers do what’s necessary to avoid the ‘fiscal cliff,’ and the implications it could have on the broader economy.” The United States Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) report, compiled by the trade association representing the production and distribution of manufacturing technology, provides regional and national U.S. orders data of domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment. Analysis of manufacturing technology orders provides a reliable leading economic indicator as manufacturing industries invest in capital metalworking equipment to increase capacity and improve productivity.