Shandong Yuzhong Steel Co., Ltd. , https://www.cnyzsteel.com
For German machinery manufacturers, the past year is a year full of surprises. Martin Karp, chairman of the German Machinery Manufacturers Association (VDW), said: “The situation in 2012 was far better than expected.†He said that the industry seems to be only aware of the economic crisis from the newspapers. Compared with the same period of 2011, German machinery manufacturing increased by 9%. What is in the ointment is: In 2011, the situation in the industry is better. Compared with 2010, the output value of the German machinery manufacturing industry increased by 31% in 2011. From this perspective, the global economic recession also has a certain impact on the industry.
Global leader in machinery manufacturing market
Germany is an exporter, especially Germany's machinery industry is a large exporter. Karp said: "Last year, Germany's machinery exports amounted to 9.5 billion euros, an increase of 20% over the same period of last year, setting a record for Germany's machinery exports to the highest level ever." Especially the US market, which was shaken by the financial crisis and almost disappeared, has been given a new lease. Manufacturers continue to provide orders. The U.S. automotive industry chose "Made in Germany" for more modern technological transformation.
In contrast, the European market seems to be indecisive. Hagen Lohel, of Emag, a German machinery manufacturer, said: "There are some difficulties in sales in Europe." The company manufactures machine tools and precision metal parts processing equipment. When it comes to the European market, Hagenloher's assessment is that the demand is not great, the competition is fierce, and many customers are more cautious when placing orders. When purchasing power in Western Europe, especially Germany, weakened, the purchasing power of Eastern European countries rose dramatically last year. German machinery is particularly favored by Polish and Russians. As a result, mechanical exports to European countries eventually grew.
Asian opportunities and risks coexist
In contrast, the market in the Far East is huge. Asian countries are rapidly developing their own industries and strengthening their modernization, thus expanding their demand for machinery products. In contrast, China’s import volume of 2.4 billion euros has become the largest single market for the German machinery industry. In 2012, Chinese imports of machinery from Germany increased by 14% over the previous year.
The Germans continue to firmly hold the cutting-edge technology. However, in order to resist competition, German manufacturers must adopt new strategies. Karp believes that German manufacturers should not overlook the increasingly strong mid-range technology areas, because new industrial countries are increasingly producing their own mid-range technology products. Karp said that for the Chinese and Indian markets, German manufacturers must further focus on the mid-range technology. He said: "In a country like China, the employees who operate the machines are not professionally trained by lathes and milling workers. This means that they need simple equipment that is easier to operate."
Many companies do this directly at the local production. EMAG's Hagenloher said: "This is done in order to be closer to the local market so that our products can better meet the needs of the local market." EMAG's products produced in China are mainly supplied to the Asian market. In addition to its production in China, the company also has production facilities in Germany and the United States.
Maintain competitive advantage
"With its cutting-edge technology, extensive customer and supply chain, strong research infrastructure and well-trained employees, the basic conditions of the German machinery manufacturer are far superior to its competitors." German manufacturers should continue to fill in technology blank. In this regard, manufacturers are strengthening cooperation with universities and training young talents to maintain a high level of innovation while avoiding the shortage of professionals.