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German machinery orders rise

November 3, 2014

New orders for machines made in Germany rebounded strongly in September after two months of slumping demand this summer. In particular, orders from countries outside of Europe rose significantly.

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Wolfsburg - Produktion Volkswagen
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

German machinery and equipment orders have risen a sharp 13 percent in September compared with the same month last year, the German Engineering Association (VDMA) said Monday.

According to VDMA data, orders from buyers based outside Europe grew by 24 percent, while domestic orders slumped by nine percent.

"Once again business was boosted by numerous major orders," said VDMA Chief Economist Ralph Wiechers in a statement.

In September, demand was the highest for German process technology, mining machinery and elevators, rising by 20 percent year-on-year.

Wiechers said the upswing in September offset substantial losses in the months ahead.

Based on a three-month comparison that smoothes out short-term fluctuations, machinery orders rose by 5 per cent year-on-year between July and September when compared with the same period in 2013.

EU Sanctions against Russia - Orders Slump for Saxony's Manufacturers

Nevertheless, Western sanctions slapped on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, were still weighing on German machine builders, VDMA said. Figures up until September showed a total of 4.4 billion euros ($5.5 billion) worth of machinery exports to Russia - 1 billion euros less than in the same period last year.

As a result, 2014 production growth in the German mechanical engineering sector would have to be cut from a previous estimate of 3 percent to 1 percent, VDMA added. This, however, still amounted to record annual sales to the tune of 210 billion euros.

uhe/ng (Reuters, AFP, dpa)