SUGAR LAND--January 30, 2013--Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--2012 was a good year for durable goods orders and an uneven one for industrial spending in the U.S. Industrial spending was strong in the first few months, thanks in part to a mild winter, but began to slow as the year progressed. New orders for manufactured durable goods grew 4.6% in December, the seventh out of the last eight months in which orders increased, while industrial spending continued to decline.