Level 2 minimal - vdma.eu

For the first time in 26 years, ASEAN has expanded its ranks, with Timor-Leste officially admitted as the grouping’s 11th member on 26 Oct 2025.

In September, the ASEAN manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 51.6 from 51.0 in August, marking the strongest improvement since July 2024 and signalling continued expansion in the ASEAN manufacturing sector.

Global manufacturing is at a crossroads. Companies must balance workforce investment with automation, boosting productivity, retaining Gen Z talent, and preparing for AI-powered “dark factories” to stay competitive and future-ready.

The Russian central bank is keeping interest rates high while growth is stagnating and inflation is not abating. Stagflation is looming - with structural problems, war and sanctions in the background.

Vietnam is in the midst of a far-reaching administrative reform that is realigning the country politically and economically - with consequences for European mechanical engineering companies.

The additional tariffs imposed by the USA on imports from Southeast Asia are placing a heavy burden on the region.

Europe's mechanical engineering companies are facing major challenges in Southeast Asia. More local proximity, strategic adaptation and the courage to question familiar ways of thinking are needed.

Held on 3rd to 5th September 2025 at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Digital, secure, and efficient. The new Entry/Exit System (EES) will replace passport stamping.

10.1 percent of the total value-added of the machinery industry in Germany gets finally tied up in automobiles. Around 103,000 of the 1.02 million jobs in the machinery industry in Germany hence depend on the global demand for automobiles.

In 2026, global machinery and equipment turnover is expected to grow by 2% on a price-adjusted basis. Growth in Asia will remain above average. Stagnation looms in the EU-27.

The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), which was officially agreed at the beginning of 2025, is a joint project between Singapore and Malaysia with the aim of exploiting economic synergies between the two countries.

International mechanical engineering grew moderately overall in 2025. While production in the USA and Asia developed robustly, Europe lagged behind the previous year.

In our quarterly report, we provide you with information on India's macroeconomic development as well as detailed information on the manufacturing industry and individual sectors with a special focus on machinery & equipment.

This year's VDMA Tractor Report Part I has been published.

International Financial Institutions (IFIs) finance numerous projects in developing and emerging countries worldwide.

Foreign exchange market was deregulated in March 2024. But expectations that exports would pick up afterwards were not fulfilled. VDMA members in Egypt nevertheless report good business.

Saudi Arabia in transition offers both challenges and opportunities. Local presence remains crucial, and not just because of increasing Chinese competition.

EU machinery and equipment manufacturing companies currently rate their competitive position as worse than the long-term average. This is particularly true to companies based in Germany.

How are exports to Africa and the Middle East developing? Which are the largest local markets, which product groups are most in demand and what are the most important supplier countries? In our theme publication you will find facts, figures and data on foreign trade with Africa and the Middle East from the perspective of the mechanical and plant engineering sector.

Singapore’s Budget 2025 presents significant opportunities for businesses to reduce costs, invest in workforce development, and adopt digital innovations.

Malaysia and Singapore launched the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) in January 2025. The new economic initiative aims to drive significant business growth with as many as 50 projects and create 20,000 skilled jobs.

In February, the ASEAN manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 51.5, the highest in seven months, from 50.4 in January. This marks the highest reading since July 2023.

As in the previous year, demand for capital goods remained subdued in 2025. Global turnover of machinery and equipment amounted to an estimated 3.3 trillion euros, roughly the same as in the previous year.

New orders for machinery in Japan fell by 3.5% in January compared to the previous month, while the order backlog reached a record high due to a shortage of labor and transportation capacity.

Despite a slight decline in machinery exports to Kazakhstan in 2024, the German mechanical engineering industry remains confident

In 2024, machinery exports from Europe to the Southeast Asian region will still not be able to match the levels of the years before coronavirus and will even record further losses.

In the first half of 2025, price-adjusted production output in the EU machinery and equipment sector shrank by 3% compared to the previous year.

Last year, agricultural machinery and tractor manufacturers in Germany recorded a noticeable double-digit decline in sales.

The quarterly report contains relevant key figures such as production, sales, profit and investment trends in the local machinery & equipment industry as well as important customer industries in China.

The following summarizes the discussions with VDMA members' branches in Turkey and with Turkish mechanical engineering companies as well as the second meeting of VDMA members in Istanbul.

The global economy is in a phase of reorientation, characterized by uncertainty, fragmentation and technological transformation.

Robotics and automation in Germany will be driven in particular by foreign business in a subdued domestic economy: - Incoming orders from Germany declining - Increased competition from China

Saudi Arabia's state-owned companies are vehemently calling on their suppliers to invest in the country. Each day 5 to 6 factories take up production.

Correspondents at Germany Trade and Invest (GTAI) provide daily updates on economic developments in over 50 countries. This article covers all you need to know about mechanical engineering in Africa. Stay informed about the most important issues.

In its EV Outlook 2023, the IEA presents current trends in the global EV market. This has continued to grow strongly over the past year and is driving further innovation.

Mechanical and plant engineering is one of the world's most important industrial sectors. We show the wide range of its economic indicators - presented in interactive charts and tables.

This year Indonesia is the Partner Country of HANNOVER MESSE. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and by far the largest economy in Southeast Asia.

Stay successful in a volatile market: VDMA offers an interactive report on European business climate indicators. Follow the developments of your most important European target markets and customer industries at a glance and make informed decisions based on current data.

What are the effects of the IRA on the American market and what are the consequences for the European mechanical and plant engineering industry? Current VDMA publication provides an overview.

The newsletter "Afrika aktuell" is published four times a year with main focus on developments and projects in the field of food production.

Southeastern Europe encompasses many different markets - VDMA Foreign Trade provides information

Kenya ranks among the top three economies in sub-Saharan Africa, far behind Nigeria and South Africa, with a GDP of $110 billion (2021).

The starting signal has been given for the new series "Africa - Market in Focus". The first issue provides a concise overview of business in South Africa.

New VDMA info sheet on industry associations relevant to mechanical engineering in the USA.