ISMR February 2021 | Page 26

REGIONAL REPORT

Order Intake of the German Machine Tool Industry Corona leaving deep scars on the machine tool industry
Total orders ( index , nominal ) 160
140
12 months moving average original values
120
100
80
60
40
20
Order intake , % change to previous year
3Q 2020
1-3Q 2020
Total
-29
-33
Domestic
-26
-27
Foreign
-30
-36
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Note : Index basis shipments 2015 = 100 , data until September 2020 , Sources : VDMA , VDW
VDW | order charts | 25.11.2020
| Seite 1
Orders from within Germany fell by 26 per cent . Thirty per cent fewer orders were received from overseas . In the period from January to September 2020 , orders fell by 33 per cent . Domestic orders were 27 per cent down on the previous year . There was a 36 per cent reduction in the level of orders from abroad .
“ The machine tool industry is now fully in the grip of the second corona wave ,” said Dr . Wilfried Schäfer , Executive Director , VDW ( German Machine Tool Builders ’ Association ), commenting on the result . “ The economic indicators rose in the third quarter , but any hopes of a short-term improvement are now fading fast . Orders received in the third quarter remain at the low level of the previous months ,” Schäfer continued .
Partial lockdowns have been imposed in Germany and in many other European countries . For machine tool customers , this is a highly uncertain and challenging environment in which to plan investments and make decisions . However , the picture differs from region to region and sector to sector . Asia , and China in particular , is recovering faster . The situation in Europe , by contrast , remains much more tense .
The electronics industry is one of the few client sectors to post gains , and to offer sales opportunities , in the current crisis . The same applies to medical technology , ventilation equipment and consumer-related areas such as the food and packaging industry , said the VDW .
The automotive industry , on the other hand , has also been badly hit by the crisis . It is profiting from the strong rise in demand in China , yet the structural change towards new types of drives is being felt more and more , and investment budgets are increasingly being reapportioned . “ This shift
Partial lockdowns have been imposed in Germany and in many other European countries . For machine tool customers , this is a highly uncertain and challenging environment in which to plan investments and make decisions
offers opportunities but comes at a considerable cost in terms of machining volumes ,” explained Schäfer .
Against this background , the VDW has had to revise its production forecast for 2020 . “ We are expecting a decline of about 30 per cent ,” said Schäfer . In terms of production volume , this represents a loss of five billion euros . At just under 12 billion euros , however , this volume is still two billion euros above that posted during the 2009 / 2010 financial crisis . “ Only in the medium term will the industry return to its 2019 level ,” concluded Schäfer . n
The automotive industry has also been badly hit by the crisis
Right : Dr . Wilfried Schäfer , Executive Director , VDW ( German Machine Tool Builders ’ Association ),
26 | sheetmetalplus . com | ISMR February 2021