May U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $351.93 million according to AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was down 10.0% from April and down 17.5% when compared with the total of $426.40 million reported for May 2013. With a year-to-date total of $1,971.83 million, 2014 is down 1.4% compared with 2013. “Expectations for the 2014 manufacturing technology market were for a soft first half of the year, followed by a stronger second half. The fluctuations seen in the past few months are on track with forecasts, and all indications are that U.S. manufacturing activity is and will remain strong,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT president.“The PMI continues to stay above 50, capacity utilization is on the rise, and both auto sales and aerospace backlogs are growing, all indications that our customers’ businesses are healthy. We expect continued investments in capital expansion through year’s end.”