German machine tool industry has grown strongly in the past two years

After two years of strong growth, German machine tool manufacturers also had positive expectations for 2013. Although the production growth of 1% is relatively limited compared to the growth of 10% in 2012. As Martin Kapp, chairman of the German Machine Tool Manufacturers Association (VDW), told the press in the office of the Frankfurt association on the Main river, the field will again reach the best level in 2008. 2012 has passed, as explained by the chairman of VDW: Better than expected. In 2012, it had a good start, with continuous orders, high production equipment, and a production value of 14.17 million euros, an increase of about 10% over the previous year.

The export performance in 2012 was very significant. The export of cutting and forming machine tools reached the highest level in history, an increase of 20%, and the output value reached 9.55 million euros. Once again, China became the largest single market for German machine tools, with an import value of 2.4 million euros, an increase of 14%, more than double the number of machines in the second largest market for German machine tools. American industry also relies on German machine tools in the modernization of its production. As of November 2012, exports were one-third more than in 2008. Even in Spain in crisis, German machine tool sales in 2012 were still higher than in the previous year, even though the initial level was relatively low.

There was no change in the domestic market in 2012

In contrast, the German medium-sized companies' investment in the fiscal year 2012 was limited, so that the domestic market basically remained in the original condition. 6.8 million euros, this figure is still significantly lower than the pre-crisis level. The utilization rate of production capacity in January 2013 was 92.4%, slightly lower than the average of the previous year. Prior to October 2012, unfinished orders had been placed after 8.3 months, one month less than the average of the previous year. Orders received in 2012 fell by 10% compared to the order records for 2011. Orders for machine tool requirements come from Europe and the United States. In addition, they specifically require forming technology. Orders for this technology mainly come from German and international cars. industry.

For the 2012 production performance, the German machine tool industry became the winner among the main competitors. If we do not consider the impact of exchange rates, China’s production will shrink, and Japan’s production will stop. The U.S. machine tool market has indeed expanded due to continuous domestic market changes. Its growth rate has reached 7%, but it still lags behind Germany. The total growth of the European machine tool industry is only half that of Germany. On the export side, German suppliers have taken a step closer to Japan.

VDW forecasting partner Oxford Economics expects that in 2013 the world's industrial production and installation investment will once again show stronger growth. For the German machine tool industry, the association concluded that the order will remain stable. For the moment, the first quarter of 2013 shows that these predictions are completely inconsistent with the actual situation. The orders received by the German machine tool industry decreased by 19% compared to the first quarter of 2012, domestic orders fell by 21%, and foreign orders dropped by 18%.

There is still a lack of real motivation to stimulate machine tool demand. VDW President Dr. Wilfried Schfer observes that we have heard that the disappointing start of 2013 has caused many people's skepticism and that some mid-sized companies in the domestic market are also skeptical. In the quarterly report, the demand for cutting machine tools performed poorly, down from 26% over the same period of the previous year. In terms of forming technology, this technology is mainly used in the automotive industry's project business, compared to its orders that were maintained last year. Level.

The second half of 2013, the order of the nodes will eventually erupt <br> <br> as VDW president Schfer clear position: If the 1% forecast no change in the value of production growth in the second half to take certain measures. In this regard, the association and the expectations in this field are once again focused on Asia's growth market, China. After all, according to experts, the Chinese economy will continue to grow at a faster rate this year.

According to VDW, in the case of machine tools from Germany, the North American machine tool market will remain stable in the 2013 sales market. Due to Russia's urgent need for modernization, it is still a very attractive customer. VDW chairman Martin Kapp calls on Russia to provide more reliable framework conditions for investors and trading partners.