In the second quarter of 2022, incoming orders in the German machine tool industry rose by 24% compared to the same period last year. Domestic orders increased by 27% and orders from abroad by 23%. In the first half of 2022, orders rose by 34% overall. Domestic orders accounted for 35% of this growth and international orders for 33%.
"Despite the current difficult conditions, machine tool orders continued to develop well in the second quarter. In relation to the first half of the year, the volume is even close to the record level of 2018. Foreign business is primarily supported by demand outside the EU. Our two lead markets, China and the USA, remain particularly strong. The hard lockdown in Shanghai and other cities did not leave any deep marks in the second quarter. In terms of technologies, machining is currently pulling the overall result upwards," comments Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Executive Director of the German Machine Tool Builders' Association (VDW). "In the first half of the year, demand has risen twice as much as for forming technology. This is an indication that major projects in the automotive industry are currently on hold, especially in Germany," Schäfer continued. Forming technology accounts for around 30 percent of total machine tool sales. Press technology in particular is used in major projects. Turnover continues to be a cause for concern. In the first half of the year, it was 7 percent higher than in the same period last year. In real terms, the result means stagnation. "As feared, the supply chain problems are therefore far from over," says Schäfer.
