The Association for Manufacturing Technology reported that December U.S. manufacturing technology orders of $506.89 million were up 32.7% from November and up 4.7% when compared with the total of $484.08 million reported for December 2013. With a year-to-date total of $5,079.05 million, 2014 was up 3.1% compared with 2013.

“The momentum we saw in manufacturing toward the end of 2014 is fueling optimism for 2015, with many major manufacturers saying they plan to hire more and invest more throughout the coming months,” said AMT president Douglas K. Woods. “The 3.1% gain in orders for the year was in line with our yearly forecast. While there are reasons for caution – a rising dollar, falling oil prices, and a shortage of skilled workers – overall we feel that the U.S. economy will continue to improve its fortunes through the first half of 2015 and manufacturing will see a measure of restrained growth.”

U.S. manufacturing technology orders are also reported on a regional basis for six geographic breakdowns of the United States.

Northeast Region

December manufacturing technology orders in the Northeast Region totaled $82.87 million, 26.9% higher than the $65.32 million tally for December 2013. Year-to-date orders of $798.68 million were 1.2% less than the comparable figure for 2013.

North Central-East Region

North Central-East Region manufacturing technology orders in December stood at $165.27 million, a rise of 72.6% when compared with November’s $95.74 million and up 20.0% when compared with the $137.70 million total for December 2013. The 2014 year-to-date total of $1,370.52 million was 6.6% higher than the 2013 total at the same time.

North Central-West Region

At $77.83 million, North Central-West Region manufacturing technology orders in December were up 13.2% compared with November’s $68.79 million. The 2014 year-to-date total of $886.59 million was 3.8% less than the comparable figure for 2013.