The almost perfect wave

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For the time being at least, Asian dominance has come to an end. The machine tool industry is experiencing historic growth. Europe and, above all, Germany have been the driving force behind this latest spurt. The Europeans witnessed a 12 per cent improvement, whilst Asian growth stopped at “just” 7 per cent. The USA also saw growth slow. The fact that the exchange rates, and the strength of the euro against the dollar and yen, have an important role to play, goes without saying. Even so, machine tool consumption has grown quite considerably. In this context, insiders are asking themselves when, how and what can be expected to happen in this sector in China? A lot is going on in the Middle Kingdom at the moment. In the face of the recent pro-Tibet campaigns, the booming nation, considered by many to be open and xenophile, is proving increasingly cautious and distrustful. Western journalists have even been receiving murder threats. The government’s ministry for propaganda is fuelling the people’s anger. Sounds familiar! The Chinese already have their wall, but the question is what comes next? Those who have always had reservations towards China currently feel justified. Among them were many of the medium-sized wire and cable machine makers who have been cautious when it comes to investing their money there.
Fortunately, this sector has been able to come up for air since the most recent wire and Tube in Düsseldorf which set new exhibitor and visitor records. Everyone, including the organisers, was thrilled with the outcome of the event. It, therefore, seems true that the investment bottleneck has finally been overcome. Having said that, a trend towards low-cost machinery emerged in Düsseldorf. This has nothing to do with a fall in quality, as was demonstrated by the world market leaders and their new developments. Set against this backdrop of innovation and growth, the political disputes should not perhaps give us too much cause for concern.

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