CECIMO expects a double-digit growth in machine tool production in 2011

CECIMO represents and promotes the interests of European machine tool manufacturers. Its members are the 15 national associations from: Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey. In 2010, CECIMO production output reached €16.6 billion which is about 1% lower than in 2009. External sales continued to be the driver, with almost three quarters of last year's production exported. Overall, CECIMO exports remained stable in 2010 at €12.3 billion, which is a testimony to Europe's leading technology position for the manufacturing sector and a cornerstone for successful economic development. The apparent consumption of machine tools within Europe continued to decline for the second year. The size of the European market contracted last year by 6% against 2009 to €9.8 billion, while imports declined by 7% to €5.4 billion. "2010 clearly saw the rock-bottom of the decline in machine tool production, following the record high of 2008. 2011 will bring a double digit growth in european machine tool production," predicts Frank Brinken, chairman of CECIMO's Economic Committee. "Although we have been experiencing very strong growth in bookings over the previous three quarters, we are still a few years away from the production peak of 2008, before the bubble burst. It will take some time before this is reflected in the production numbers." "Europe's machine tool production in 2010 amounts to one third of the world's output, while a year earlier CECIMO members accounted for 43%. This clearly and strongly demonstrates the dynamic development in the Asian markets," cautioned Mr Brinken. Europe's lower market share in the machine tool market becomes apparent in the total export figures. For the first time, Europe's share in the world's exports dropped below 50% compared with 62% in 2009. The major winners are manufacturers from highly developed Asian countries experiencing extremely sluggish domestic markets for the third year in a row. As a consequence, European builders saw their Asian counterparts aggressively buying market shares overseas by lowering prices abroad despite their currency exchange rates going in the opposite direction. CECIMO called on the EU to sharpen the focus of its market access strategy on opening up markets in Asia and to fight, on all fronts, the anti-competitive practices which harm European exports.