In December 2023, incoming orders in North Rhine-Westphalia’s mechanical and plant engineering sector fell short of the previous year’s level by 25% on a price-adjusted basis.
In December 2023, incoming orders in the mechanical and plant engineering sector in North Rhine-Westphalia fell short of the previous year’s level by 25% on a price-adjusted basis. Domestic orders were down 30% and orders from abroad were down 22%. The non-Eurozone contributed to this foreign result with a drop of 20% and the Eurozone with a drop of 26%.
In the less volatile three-month period from October to December 2023, incoming orders fell by 22% compared to the previous year. Demand from Germany fell by 20% and from abroad by 23%. Orders from the eurozone were down 9% on the previous year and 28% from the non-eurozone.
The annual balance of incoming orders for the NRW mechanical and plant engineering sector shows a decline of 16% for 2023. Domestic demand fell by 3%, while foreign business was down 21% compared to the same period last year. Demand from the eurozone was down 10% on the previous year and 25% from the non-eurozone.
The mechanical and plant engineering industry in North Rhine-Westphalia clearly felt the effects of the war in Ukraine, the global challenges and the weak economy last year. The decline in foreign orders is due in particular to the weak order intake from non-European countries, which had a negative impact on the entire foreign market. The decline in foreign demand could not be compensated for by domestic demand, which also fell last year, albeit only moderately at 3%.