In the first half of 2013, the global machine tool industry continued to face challenges as economic conditions remained sluggish. Many observers expressed concerns about the sector's performance, with some even suggesting it was stuck in a prolonged downturn. However, rather than relying on speculation, it’s essential to look at the actual data to understand what was really happening.
According to the General Administration of Customs of China, in the first half of 2013, China imported 38,426 metalworking machine tools, representing a 22.3% decline compared to the same period in 2012. The total value of these imports reached $5.251 billion, down 17.2% year-on-year. Despite this drop in volume and value, the average unit price increased by 6.6%, reaching $136,700 per machine. In June alone, imports fell by 3.7% month-on-month, but the value rose slightly by 14.1%, showing some fluctuation in demand.
These figures suggest that while the Chinese machine tool market has not fully recovered from the global financial crisis, the rate of decline has started to slow. Industry insiders noted that demand remains weak, but there are signs of stabilization. This trend is not unique to China; similar patterns can be observed in other major economies.
Looking at the U.S., the American Machine Tool Trade Association reported that orders for metalworking machines totaled $2.09 billion from January to May 2013, a decrease of 6.9% compared to the same period in 2012. Specifically, orders for cutting machines dropped by 7.7%, while forming machine orders saw a slight increase of 0.2%. This indicates that certain segments of the U.S. market were still active, though overall demand remained under pressure.
In Japan, the situation was equally challenging. According to the Japan Machine Tool Builders’ Association, the total orders received by eight major Japanese machine tool manufacturers in the first half of 2013 amounted to 219.43 billion yen, a 17.1% decline from the previous year. Of this, 74.22 billion yen came from domestic orders, down 21.1%, while external orders stood at 145.21 billion yen, a decrease of 15%. However, the share of foreign demand increased to 66.2%, up 1.7 percentage points from the previous year.
This shift suggests that Japanese manufacturers were increasingly relying on international markets to offset weak domestic demand. Similarly, in both the U.S. and Japan, the machine tool industry showed signs of struggling with weak demand, but also demonstrated resilience through diversification and adaptation.
Overall, the first half of 2013 was a difficult period for the global machine tool industry. While the outlook was not optimistic, the data revealed that the worst may have been behind, and the industry was gradually adjusting to new market realities.
Jiangsu Zhongyi Tools and Riggings Co., Ltd. , https://www.zy-rigging.com