US manufacturing technology orders continued to strengthen in June, according to data from our colleagues at AMT. June orders rose +15.6% from May and were +56.8% higher than a year earlier. For the first half of 2026, orders totalled $3.44 billion, up +36.0% on the first half of 2025 and representing the strongest six-month period by value since the USMTO programme began in 1998.
Orders from contract machine shops continued to accelerate, reaching their highest first-half value on record. However, unit orders were almost -8% lower than in the second half of 2025, reflecting the continued emphasis on higher-value equipment. Job shops remain the largest customer segment, although investment has lagged in recent years as OEMs have expanded their own production capacity to meet increased demand.
The aerospace sector was a major driver of investment, recording its strongest first half on record in both value and unit terms. Orders were almost one-third higher by value than in the second half of 2025, while unit volumes increased by nearly a quarter. Growing demand from the space economy, rising commercial aircraft backlogs and increased defence production requirements are supporting further capacity expansion.
Investment is also accelerating among manufacturers supplying the power generation and distribution sector, as demand for electricity from AI and data-centre infrastructure increases. Although first-half orders were broadly in line with the previous three half-years, June orders were more than twice the monthly average recorded since 2000. As a result, first-half investment in this sector was around +14% higher than in automotive.
All US regions recorded year-on-year growth in the first half of 2026, with the strongest increase in the West (+63.3%) and the weakest in North Central-East (+6.9%).
Meanwhile, the US cutting tool market also recorded strong growth. June shipments reached $270.5 million, up +12.8% from May and +31.7% from June 2025. Shipments for the first half of the year totalled $1.47 billion, +19.3% higher than in the same period of 2025.
You can download the press releases for the two surveys from the AMT web-site at https://www.amtonline.org/topic/intelligence; alternatively, you can request either or both releases from MTA and we can make sure you get them when they are published each month.