I came across a statistic reinforcing the business-is-strong trend apparent to all of us in manufacturing programs. As reported in October’s Midwest Manufacturing News, the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute (USCTI) and The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT),report cutting tool consumption in the United States in June 2014 totaled $181 million, up 7.3% from May, and also up 9.9% for the last 12 months. These numbers and all data in the report are based on the totals actually reported by the companies participating in the Cutting Tool Market Report (CTMR) program. The totals represent about 80% of the U.S. market for cutting tools. “June represents the strongest sales numbers in 2014, which projects optimism for the remainder of the year,” stated Tom Haag, president of USCTI. “This strong month has continued to gain ground versus 2013 sales for the fifth consecutive month and sets the stage for surpassing last year’s totals.
This is just more anecdotal evidence supporting my statements to iNAM students that they are entering a period of sustained manufacturing growth and their career prospects are very good. The stage is set; now it’s up to them to learn and excel in their chosen field to land great jobs.