Buoyant foreign orders - weak domestic demand: In March 2025, incoming orders showed two very different faces. The bottom line was a considerable increase of 30 percent.
In light of Trump’s tariffs, analysts highlight ASEAN’s risks from trade tensions but remain optimistic about the region's resilience. Singapore’s semiconductor industry stays cautious, exporters diversify suppliers and customers amid uncertainties.
After a weak start to the year, patience is still required: the eastern German mechanical and plant engineering sector once again saw a drop in orders in February. Only customers from the eurozone invested generously.
Thuringia's mechanical and plant engineering sector continued the previous year's very good sales result in 2024 despite the difficult conditions. The industry fell just short of the 4 billion mark.
In 2024, price-adjusted production output in the EU mechanical and plant engineering sector contracted by 7 percent compared to the previous year.
For the eastern German mechanical and plant engineering sector, 2025 began as the previous year ended: with a drop in orders.
After three consecutive years of growth, Saxony's mechanical engineering companies lost momentum in 2024. Turnover and employment figures are pointing downwards. The association expects a mixed result for 2025.
The year 2024 ended with a bitter blow for the eastern German mechanical and plant engineering sector. The significant drop in December put additional pressure on the already weak annual balance sheet.
The increase in orders in October was only enough for the eastern German mechanical and plant engineering sector to breathe a brief sigh of relief - orders slipped back into negative territory in November 2024 compared to the same month last year.
The economic data from China offers little cause for optimism: domestic consumption is growing slowly. The economic recovery is taking longer than expected. In the real estate sector, there is no hope of a short-term recovery in prices.
Tentative breath of fresh air in eastern German mechanical and plant engineering. At the start of the fourth quarter of 2024, both domestic and foreign customers placed more orders than in the same month last year.
Customers continue to invest with the handbrake on. In September 2024, incoming orders in the eastern German mechanical and plant engineering sector therefore remained significantly below the previous year's level.
Summer mood in August? Fiddlesticks! Incoming orders in the eastern German mechanical and plant engineering sector remained well below the previous year's level in August 2024.
Incoming orders in the eastern German mechanical and plant engineering sector increased in July 2024 compared to the same month last year. However, there are clear differences between domestic and foreign orders.
The start of the new apprenticeship year has been bumpy for many East German mechanical engineering companies. Half of the companies offering training have not yet been able to fill all commercial or technical apprenticeships.
The eastern German mechanical and plant engineering sector closed the first half of 2024 with a disappointing order intake. The balance from January to June is also negative compared to the previous year.
In May 2024, eastern German mechanical engineering customers ordered significantly fewer goods than in the same month last year.
In April 2024, eastern German mechanical engineering companies registered more orders than in the same month last year. This was mainly due to demand from foreign customers.
A spirit of optimism in Saxony-Anhalt: the state's mechanical engineering companies generated more turnover in 2023 than ever before. Foreign business was the decisive factor.
