U.S. machine shops and other manufacturers cut their new equipment orders by 25.2% in January, falling to $360.31 million million for the month, versus the revised total of $488.34 million for December. The new result however improved 1.3% on the January 2013 result, $360.31 million.

The new results are included in the monthly U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders report, issued by AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which compiles data on nationwide and regional orders data for domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment.

“While monthly order totals are down from December, January is always a soft month and more so this year due to an unusually harsh winter,” observed AMT president Douglas K. Woods. “Overall the news for manufacturing remains positive, with an improving housing market and strong indicators for near-term capital investment.

“We are still optimistic for a strong 2014 and 2015 for manufacturing technology orders, especially as we move through an IMTS year,” Woods emphasized.

The biennial IMTS event may be expected to guide machine shops’ capital spending plans. During the last staging in September 2012, the USMTO report rose 40.7% for the month to $667.47 million, which remains the recent high point in monthly machine tool orders.

AMT tracks orders for metal cutting equipment separately from metal forming and fabricating equipment, with the combined figure representing the monthly total.