Order intake in the mechanical and plant engineering sector in North Rhine-Westphalia in August 2023 fell short of its prior-year result by 18 percent in real terms. There were 4 percent fewer orders from Germany 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. In the less volatile three-month period from June to August 2023, incoming orders decreased by 11 percent year-on-year. Orders from Germany fell by 5 percent and orders from abroad by 13 percent. Demand from the European region fell 7 percent short of the previous year’s figures and from non-European countries by 16 percent.
As in previous months, orders are well below the level of the previous year. At present, there is no positive impetus for our industry, either from within Germany or from abroad. In particular, non-European demand for machinery and equipment is causing double-digit declines in orders. Only the still high level of orders on hand at companies is keeping the impact on production low.