In December 2023, incoming orders in the mechanical and plant engineering sector in North Rhine-Westphalia recorded a price-adjusted decline of 25 percent compared to the previous year. Domestic orders fell by 30 percent, while orders from abroad fell by 22 percent. The non-Eurozone and the Eurozone contributed in particular to this foreign result with a drop of 20 percent and 26 percent respectively.
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 percent and from abroad by 23 percent. Orders from the eurozone were down 9 percent on the previous year and 28 percent from outside the eurozone.
The annual balance of incoming orders for the NRW mechanical and plant engineering sector shows a decline of 16 percent for 2023. Domestic demand fell by 3 percent, while foreign business was down 21 percent compared to the same period in the previous year. Demand from the eurozone was down 10 percent and from the non-eurozone 25 percent on the previous year.
“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”, says Hans-Jürgen Alt, Manager ProduktionNRW. “The decline in foreign orders is due in particular to the weak order intake from non-European countries, which had a negative impact on all foreign countries. The decline in foreign demand could not be compensated for by domestic demand, which also fell last year - albeit only moderately at 3 percent.”
