Manufacturing by the Numbers: Industry stats from July 2024
The old adage ‘you can't manage what you can't measure’ has never been truer, especially in the industrial sector. Having the right data about your plant, your business, and the industry in general is essential if you want your company to thrive.
This monthly roundup highlights the reports, studies, surveys, and insights that are impacting the manufacturing industry. Here are this month’s stats.
Manufacturing activity contracted in June for the third consecutive month"The Manufacturing PMI registered 48.5% in June, down 0.2 percentage point from the 48.7% recorded in May." |
Manufacturing declined modestly in July in New York State"New orders remained steady, while shipments inched just slightly higher. Delivery times shortened, and supply availability was unchanged." |
Industrial production rose 0.6% in June"For the second quarter as a whole, industrial production increased at an annual rate of 4.3%. Manufacturing output moved up 0.4% in June and rose 3.4% (annual rate) in the second quarter." |
Philadelphia manufacturing activity expanded overall in July"The survey’s indicator for general activity rose, and the indexes for shipments and new orders turned positive. The employment index also turned positive, suggesting an overall increase in employment levels." |
New orders for manufactured durable goods decreased $18.6 billion or 6.6% in June"This followed a 0.1% May increase. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.5%. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 7.0%." |
Factory activity in Texas was flat in July"The production index, a key measure of state manufacturing conditions, held fairly steady at -1.3, with the near-zero reading signaling little change in output from June." |
Cutting tool orders totaled $214.4 million in May"Orders decreased 0.1% from April 2024 but grew by 1.8% over May 2023. Year-to-date shipments totaled $1.06 billion, up 4% from shipments made in the first five months of 2023." |
Manufacturing activity in the Richmond area worsened in July"The composite manufacturing index decreased from -10 in June to -17 in July. Of its three component indexes, shipments fell notably from -9 to -21, new orders decreased from -16 to -23, and employment edged down from -2 to -5." |
Manufacturing technology orders totaled $386.7 million in May"New machinery orders were up nearly 22% from April 2024 and up 6.5% over May 2023. This is the first month in 2024 where the value of orders placed exceeded those of the same month the previous year." |
About the Author
Alexis GajewskiAlexis Gajewski
Senior Content Strategist
Alexis Gajewski is a manufacturing writer and editor with nearly 20 years of experience covering the people, practices, and technologies that keep industrial facilities running. For more than a decade, she served as Senior Content Strategist for Plant Services, creating content for plant managers, engineers, and maintenance professionals on a variety of industrial topics.
During her tenure, Alexis worked to develop the brand’s digital strategy and helped launch and produce Great Question: A Manufacturing Podcast. She also created The Lighter Side of Manufacturing, a weekly blog that explored the inventive and sometimes humorous side of the industry.
Alexis co-founded Influential Women in Manufacturing, a recognition program that honored 49 women in its first two years, earned an industry award for Best Product Launch, and received a proclamation from Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and a commendation from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth.
She also led newsroom operations and development at a large media company where she set editorial standards, developed training curriculum, and helped support AI adoption for more than 150 editors across 80+ brands spanning manufacturing, industrial processing, automation, and more.
Additionally, Alexis works as a freelance writer and editor, and her areas of interest include continuous improvement, the skilled workforce, and the role of emerging technology on the plant floor.
Connect with Alexis on LinkedIn
