MCLEAN, VA -- US manufacturing technology orders in August totaled $470.44 million, up 3.7% sequentially.

Year-to-date orders are up 4.1% year-over-year to $3.6 trillion. according to AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology. For the month, orders were down 4.7% from last year.

“It’s a great sign for the industry to see month-to-month gains in August, historically one of the slowest months for orders,” said Douglas K. Woods, AMT president. “With U.S. manufacturers still working through five months’ worth of backlogs, we may very well see a record year for USMTO over and above the last peak in 2011.”

Manufacturing technology orders are an indicator of the vitality of America’s industrial base, AMT said. Changes in orders are a confirmation of recovery, often establishing an upturn or downturn long before the traditional indicators identify a trend.