T HE metal manufacturing industry is finally on its way to recovery after suffering severely from the 2009 financial crisis. Dr Schafer from the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association anticipates that 2011 will have be positive for the metal working industry, highlighting manufacturing customers are in the mood to purchase again.
“During the first nine months of 2010, orders of German machine tool manufacturers show an increase by close to 20% in busi ness activities with Australian cus tomers,” Dr Schafer told Manufacturers’ Monthly.
Dr Schafer explains that, according to current economic forecasts, investment will rise up to 6% this year.
German export figures show machine tool shipments make up a large part of trade with Australia.
The figures indicate German and Australian export/import is dominated by the sheet metal manufacturing sector, with close to 40% of the entire machine tool deliveries made up of punching (with and without use of lasers), notching, bending, folding and straightening applications.
“This positive development will speed-up proven records in German exports/Australian imports and Australian market size respectively,” said Dr Schafer.
This is great news for the metal industry as orders were at an all- time low in 2009.
Recently, buying trends in sur rounding Asian companies have also been been positive, with countries including China and South Korea also purchasing more.
“Asia offers a huge degree of demand postponed for structural instead of mere conjunctional rea sons, and has overcome the crisis without heavy economic deterio rations, comparable to these in the United States and Europe,” said Dr Schafer.
According to worldwide records from the German machine tool industry’s order intake for 2010, the demand in the USA increased by 84%, Brazil accelerated by 157% and Europe by 42%.
Dr Schafer spoke at a business briefing in Sydney last month to promote the Hannover EMO exhi bition — an international metal working tradeshow — to Australian companies.
The show will be organised and staged by the German Machine Tool Builder’s Association (VDW) held in Hannover, Germany, from 19 to 24 September 2011.
Two Australian companies are set to exhibit at the EMO Hannover exhibition this year: ANCA Tool Precision and Sutton Tools.
With a slight decrease to last year, EMO anticipates that due to the EMO Hannover business briefings held in Melbourne and Sydney, it will result in even more Australian organisations participating at this year’s event.