GENERAL NEWS
German machine tool orders stay strong
Orders received by the German machine tool industry in the first quarter of 2022 were 44 per cent up on the same period last year . There was a 44 per cent increase in orders from within Germany and also from overseas .
“ Orders for our industry continued to flow in during the first quarter of this year ,” commented Dr . Wilfried Schäfer , Executive Director , VDW ( German Machine Tool Builders ’ Association . “ They were only eight per cent below the figures posted in the record year of 2018 ,” he continued . However , the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war are expected to become more pronounced in the coming months , he said . This is evidenced firstly by the most recent growth rates , which have been significantly lower . Secondly , supply bottlenecks remain the greatest challenge and are far from being resolved . “ This issue will be with us for quite a few months ,” Schäfer feared .
Supply bottlenecks are also the reason why production continues to lag far behind orders . In the first quarter , production Right : Dr . Wilfried Schäfer .
rose by a disproportionately low six per cent . In response , the VDW has lowered its production forecast for the current year from 14 to eight per cent growth .
“ At present , the new machines are simply ending up in storage , as many of them cannot be put into operation because of missing parts ,” explained Schäfer . However , these machines do not appear in the production figures until they are loaded onto trucks or ships . China is currently the source of a great deal of uncertainly . The lockdowns in numerous major cities and industrial centres are preventing customers from taking delivery of machines , and service personnel from travelling to their customers .
“ As with production , there is currently little momentum behind exports . There was a slight increase of one per cent in the first quarter . Europe and the Americas have posted slight declines of two per cent and one per cent , respectively . Asia has grown by eight per cent , with Central and South Asia and Southeast Asia growing much more strongly than East Asia . At four per cent , exports to China , the largest sales market , grew only moderately at the beginning of the year . China accounts for a good 19 per cent of German exports , while the U . S . market takes a much smaller share of 13 per cent . Exports to the USA fell by six per cent in the first quarter ,” explained the VDW . “ Italy ranks third among the ten most important sales markets , accounting for both an increase and a share of six per cent . After the poor performance of the previous year , business with Switzerland bounced back , with 70 per cent growth in the first quarter . This returns the country to fourth place in the rankings . Exports to Austria were lower compared with the very strong first quarter of 2021 . Exports to Poland were also down slightly on the previous year ’ s level . The Netherlands ’ figures remain buoyant , with the country taking 11 per cent more machine tools in the first quarter than last year . France has continued its downward [ order ] slide , falling by 18 per cent . Mexico and Turkey complete the top ten , posting sizeable double-digit growth rates of 27 and 26 per cent respectively ,” it added .
Total imports to Germany have grown by 20 per cent , driven by Switzerland , Japan and China , whose shipments have seen significant increases . n
Don ’ t miss EuroBLECH 2022
EuroBLECH 2022 , the 26th International sheet metalworking technology exhibition , will take place from 25-28 October 2022 at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds in Germany . Four months ahead of the show , around 1,300 exhibitors from 39 countries have already secured their stand space at the leading trade exhibition for the global sheetmetalworking industry .
Currently , major exhibitor countries are Germany ; Italy ; Turkey ; China ; Switzerland ; the Netherlands ; Spain ; Belgium ; Poland ; Austria ; Portugal and the USA . Exhibiting companies have already secured a net exhibition space of 88,600 square metres .
“ A lot of innovations have been developed in the past few years , with a focus on costand resource efficiency . While digitalisation and Industry 4.0 were topics that only large companies were [ achieving ] at the previous EuroBLECH , these key drivers have now reached the factories of small and mediumsized companies ,” commented Evelyn Warwick , Event Director , EuroBLECH , on behalf of the organiser Mack-Brooks Exhibitions .
“ Exhibitors at this year ’ s event will present everything they have on offer to innovate and digitalise the manufacturing process , along the entire sheet metalworking technology chain . All these developments are reflected in this year ’ s motto for EuroBLECH ; ‘ Your gateway to a smarter future ’. The event will offer everyone in the community the opportunity to come together and see the future of sheet metalworking . EuroBLECH offers its visitors the possibility to find solutions for the recent challenges in the industry and connects them with businesses from all over the world to help them integrate the latest machinery and software into their manufacturing process ,” she added .
EuroBLECH is a key event for design engineers ; production managers ; quality managers ; buyers ; manufacturers ; technical directors and experts from associations and R & D to discover the latest trends and machinery in sheet metalworking . Visitors can expect the complete spectrum of intelligent solutions and innovative machinery for modern production in sheet metalworking , presented through numerous live demonstrations on the exhibition stands .
EuroBLECH is the largest exhibition for the sheet metalworking industry worldwide where visitors can discover and source the latest innovative manufacturing solutions . Live demonstrations on exhibition stands offer trade visitors the opportunity to experience machines and systems from all areas of sheet metalworking in action . The EuroBLECH exhibition profile covers fifteen technology sectors and the entire sheet metalworking technology chain . These are sheet metal ; semi-finished and finished products ; handling ; separation ; forming ; flexible sheet metalworking ; tube / section processing ; joining ; welding ; additive manufacturing ; surface treatment ; processing of hybrid structures ; tools ; quality control ; CAD / CAM / CIM systems ; factory and warehouse equipment as well as R & D .
EuroBLECH 2022 will be held in halls 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 26 and 27 at the Hanover Exhibition Grounds in Germany . Opening times are from 09:00 to 18:00 . Visitors requiring a visa to travel are urged to start their preparation as early as possible .
EuroBLECH can be followed on LinkedIn and YouTube . The official hashtag is # euroblech . n
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