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Steel shipments increase in July W A S H I N G T O N , D . C . — T h e American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) has reported that for the month of July 2018, US steel mills shipped 7,911,228 net tons (NT) of steel, a 1.0 percent decrease from the 7,988,026 NT shipped in the previ- ous month and a 5.8 percent increase from the 7,480,241 NT shipped in July 2017. Shipments year-to-date in 2018 are 55,215,285 NT, a 4.3 per- cent increase versus 2017 shipments of 52,939,327 NT for seven months. AISI serves as the voice of the North American steel industry in the public policy arena and advances the case for steel in the marketplace as the pre- ferred material of choice. US antimicrobial coatings market examined NEWARK, Dela.—A recent report on the US antimicrobial coatings market presents an in-depth market analysis, including trends, drivers, and future challenges. United States Antimicrobial Coatings Market Report 2018, a market research report from Questale, an in- dustrial market research firm, covers the current market size and its growth rates based on 5-year historical data along with company profiles to help monitor future profitability and make critical decisions for growth. The market is growing at a very rapid pace, and with a rise in technological innovation, competition, and M&A activities in the industry, many local and regional vendors are offering spe- cific application products for varied end users. The new manufacturer en- trants are finding it hard to compete with the international vendors based on quality, reliability, and innovations in technology. US manufacturing technology orders increase MCLEAN, Va.—US manufacturing technology orders for July were up 20 percent from July 2017, yielding a year-to-date total of $2.96 billion for 2018, up 22 percent from the same period in 2017. Orders totaled $399 million for the month, down a mod- est 3 percent compared to June to- tals, reflecting the start of the typical summer slowdown. This is according to the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT) as reported by companies participating in the US Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) program. "The current growth rate in manufac- turing technology orders is outstand- ing in the face of market uncertainty due to trade tensions," said Doug Woods, AMT president. "This un- usual strength during the summer months reflects the market's confi- dence in the continued growth in manufacturing, the need for addi- tional capacity, and the challenges in putting that into place in a timely manner due to strain on key compo- nent supply chains." Many manufac- turers, particularly small businesses, are just beginning to see how the tax reform bill will impact their bottom line and are scrambling to make in- vestments that will leverage that to their advantage. Most leading indicators which AMT tracks for trends in the manufacturing technology market took a dip in July. The Purchasing Managers' Index fell below 60 percent, but is still nearly a percentage point above the year-to- date low seen in April. Both consumer sentiment and auto sales fell slightly. Capacity utilization for manufacturing continues to edge upward, sitting at 76 percent in July, ever closer to the 80 percent that has historically signaled rapid acceleration for manufacturing technology orders. The USMTO report provides regional and national US orders data of domes- tic and imported machine tools and re- lated equipment. AMT represents and promotes US-based manufacturing technology and its members, including those who design, build, sell, and ser- vice the continuously evolving technol- ogy that lies at the heart of manufactur- ing. The USMTO report is compiled by AMT and all data in the report is based on the totals of actual data re- ported by companies participating in the USMTO program. Growth expected in global epoxy powder coating market DUBLIN, Ireland—The global epoxy powder coating market is expected to grow at a moderate pace from 2018 to 2023, with the construction industry remaining as the largest consumer of epoxy powder coatings. This is accord- ing to Global Epoxy Powder Coatings Market – Segmented by End-user Indus- try, Coating Type and Geography – Growth, Trends and Forecast (2018- 2023), a report from Research and Markets, an industrial market research firm. With a rising number of building codes that promote eco-friendly and energy-efficient structures, home builders and consumers are gradually moving toward building strategies that deliver performance and energy savings over the long run. For example, new residential construction in the US re- corded an annual growth of 6.34 per- cent in 2016. During the first 10 months of 2017, the new residential construction recorded a growth of 2.43 percent when compared to the same period in 2016. Primary metals leading index decreases in July RESTON, Va.—The primary metals leading index decreased to 167.3 in July from an upwardly revised 169.4 in June, and its 6-month smoothed growth rate decreased to -0.6 percent in July from an upwardly revised 2.2 per- cent in June. A growth rate below -1.0 percent indicates a downturn in activ- ity. The primary metals leading index growth rate posted growth rates above +1.0 percent from April 2016 through June 2018. The primary metals leading index 6-month smoothed growth rate also turned negative for the first time since October 2016. The July leading index should be considered prelimi- nary because only four of its eight indi- cators were available. Global high-temp-resistant coatings market analyzed to 2022 TORONTO, Ont.—The global high-temperature-resistant coatings market is expected to grow at a com- pound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.43 percent from 2017 to 2022. This is according to Global High-Tempera- UPDATE: Markets POWDER COATING, October 2018 41