Metalworking machinery orders on growth pace in 2025

The McLean, Virginia-based Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT) reports that orders received by producers of metalworking machinery are on the upswing so far in 2025 despite a decline in such order this April compared with the prior month.

New orders of metalworking machinery as measured by AMT's United States Manufacturing Technology Orders Report totaled $1.69 billion in the first four months of this year, a 17.8 percent increase compared with the first four months of 2024.

That year-to-date growth figure was not hurt by the $444.9 million in orders received this April, even though that monthly total is down 12.7 percent compared with the prior month.

The April total nonetheless represents a nearly 40 percent increase compared with orders received in April 2024, with AMT noting that every year the month of March tends to see outsized order volumes due to many machinery manufacturers ending their fiscal year March 31.

The organization says this year’s March to April decline of 12.7 percent represents the lowest such drop since April 2022.

With tariff announcements and reshoring in the news steadily this year, AMT says some of this year’s strong demand is potentially attributed to front-running the coming tariffs on imported goods and expectations of increased demand for domestically sourced manufactured goods and components.

“Despite declines in overall manufacturing output, machinery manufacturers increased production by 0.3 percent in April, continuing the upward trend that began in October 2024," AMT says.

While Trump administration tariffs have been delayed by the White House, those on inbound steel and aluminum largely have stayed in place and even increased.

AMT says primary metal manufacturers have increased their metalworking machinery orders to their highest level since February 2024.

“If the recent tariff increase on metals remains, orders from this sector could increase as domestic suppliers attempt to meet new demand with limited available capacity," the group says.

AMT's report indicates machinery orders from aerospace manufacturers dropped by nearly half this April compared with the prior month, but orders remained slightly above their 2024 monthly average after four months in 2025.

On a more cautious note, AMT adds that the National Association of Manufacturers’ recently released Manufacturer’s Outlook Survey showed a steep decline in respondents reporting an optimistic economic outlook compared to their previous survey.

However, that same survey also reported that capital investments are still expected to rise modestly over the next 12 months, albeit at a lower level than projected earlier in the year.