European machine tool industry will face enormous challenges in 2011

According to the statistics of the European Machine Tool Industry Council (CECIMO), in 2010, the output value of machine tools of CECIMO member countries totaled 16.6 billion euros, a slight decrease of 1% over the same period of 2009. Export is still an important driving force for the development of the European machine tool industry. In 2010, CECIMO's machine tool exports remained stable at 12.3 billion euros, accounting for about 3/4 of the total output value. The strong export of machine tools is a strong testament to the technological leadership and economic success of European manufacturing.

While exports were stable, the apparent consumption of European machine tools continued to decline for two consecutive years. In 2010, the European market for domestic machine tools contracted to 9.8 billion euros, a year-on-year drop of 6%. At the same time, machine tool imports also fell 7 percent year-on-year to 5.4 billion euros.

According to Frank Brinken, chairman of the CECIMO Economic Committee, “The machine tool output fell to the trough in 2010 after the highest record of European machine tool production in 2008. However, with the release of order capacity, it is expected that there will be double-digit growth in the industry's production in 2011. The European machine tool market will enter a stage of stable and continuous growth, but it should be noted that despite strong growth in orders in the first three quarters, there is still a big gap from the peak in 2008, and it will take a long time for the recovery of production.

Frank Brinken pointed out: "In 2010, machine tool output in Europe accounted for about one-third of the world's total production of machine tools, and its share in 2009 was 43%. This fully demonstrates the booming market for Asian machine tools."

In terms of exports, the market share of European machine tools has also dropped significantly. In 2010, the ratio of European machine tool exports to total world exports fell to 50% for the first time, compared to 62% in 2009.

Frank Brinken believes that the global machine tool market will continue to rise in the future, and will reach a new peak by 2013. However, this growth will be mainly concentrated in markets outside Europe, mainly from China and other Asian countries. Therefore, in order to maintain the existing market share, the European machine tool industry will face enormous challenges.

CECIMO calls on the EU to further open its markets to Asia, and anti-competitive behavior will damage European exports. European machine tool manufacturers need a global competitive environment based on the rules of the international trading system, fully tap the growth of external markets and restore their lost market share.