For the fifth year in succession, exports of German food processing and packaging machinery increased again in 2014 to almost EUR 8bn, according to the VDMA – the German Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association.
With a share of 34 percent, the EU-28 remained the leading export region for German food processing and packaging machinery constructors, followed by Asia (19 percent), other European countries (14 percent) and North America (12 percent). The largest growth was recorded in the regions Near East and Middle East (30 percent) and Southeast Asia (28 percent). The strongest declines were in Central and South Asia (-18 percent) and in Africa (-10 percent).
The ten most important export markets for German manufacturers were the USA (EUR 852 million), China (EUR 542 million), Russia (EUR 494 million), France (EUR 398 million), United Kingdom (EUR 352 million), Poland (EUR 281 million), Switzerland (EUR 279 million), Netherlands (EUR 226 million), Indonesia (EUR 226 million) and Austria (EUR 221 million).
Market prospects for the sector, comprising mainly mid-sized enterprises, are good because economic indicators from the important markets – except for Russia – are positive. With an average export quota of 87 percent, German manufacturers have been the international leaders for many years.
“The increasing mechanisation of food production in emerging nations, in particular, has clearly boosted demand over the past few years,” comments Richard Clemens, director of the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association, about the prospects for 2015.