In February 2024, incoming orders in the mechanical and plant engineering sector in North Rhine-Westphalia were 3% down on the previous year.
Domestic demand was down 8% and incoming orders from abroad fell by 1%. The eurozone contributed to this result with a drop of 7% and the non-eurozone with an increase of 1%.
In the more significant three-month period from December 2023 to February 2024, incoming orders fell by 14% compared to the previous year. Orders from Germany fell by 17% and 13% fewer orders were generated from abroad. Demand from Europe fell 16% short of the previous year’s level and incoming orders from non-European countries were down 12%.
At 3%, the decline in February was much more moderate than in previous months. The slight increase of one percent in orders from outside the eurozone is also positive. It is hoped that incoming orders from the eurozone and Germany will stabilize again in the coming months.