No positive signals from mechanical engineering in North Rhine-Westphalia

In North Rhine-Westphalia mechanical and plant engineering, incoming orders in August 2023 fell short of the previous year's result by 18 percent in real terms. 4 percent fewer orders came from domestically and 24 percent fewer from abroad. The euro zone contributed to this foreign result with a minus of 12 percent and the non-euro zone with a minus of 29 percent. 

Incoming orders fell by 11 percent year-on-year in the less volatile three-month period from June to August 2023. Domestic orders fell by 5 percent and orders from abroad fell by 13 percent. Demand from Europe fell short of the previous year's figures by 7 percent and from non-European countries by 16 percent. As in previous months, orders are significantly below the previous year's level. 

“We are currently not seeing any positive impulses for our industry, neither from home nor from abroad. In particular, non-European demand for machinery and equipment is causing double-digit declines in incoming orders. Only the company's still high order backlog means that the impact on production is minimal," explains Hans-Jürgen Alt, Manager ProductionNRW.