NEW YORK CITY– Deal activity in the industrial manufacturing sector experienced an uptick in the third quarter of 2013, while merger and acquisition (M&A) value for the quarter rose to the highest level since the fourth quarter of 2007. The strength of  industrial manufacturing M&A in the past three months was largely driven by strategic investors in advanced economies and increased mega deal (transactions valued at $1 billion or more) activity, according PwC US.