The AFM Cluster business association has explained that 2021 has been a year of recovery and that growth has continued in the first four months, despite events such as the invasion of Ukraine.
the sector of machine tool expects to surpass pre-pandemic numbers in 2022 thanks to the good execution of the orders, which are maintained despite the war in Ukraine and the “troubling scenario” of global uncertainty; with what expects to increase sales by about 7 to 10% of 2021, which has already reached EUR 1,571 million.
The President and CEO of the Entrepreneurs Association AFM clusterCésar Garbalena and Xabier Ortueta respectively offered a press conference in San Sebastián announcing the sector’s final data for 2021 and the outlook for this year.
Garbalena assured that: “2020 It was a recovery year of numbers from billing”, increased 18.66% to EUR 1571.20 million, although growth was uneven by subsector.
The recovery is mainly due to the increased orders In 2021, “all lost” with covid-19 was recovered as, for example, in the case of machine tools, orders increased by almost 30% compared to 2019 and 70% as the numbers of the “atypical” 2020.
Concerning export, the recovery in 2021 it will be even more outstanding, with 1,241.47 million euros billed abroad, a 23.41% more than in 2020.
The main sales destinations abroad were the US, Italy, Germany, China, France, India, Turkey, Portugal, Mexico and the United Kingdom.
However, despite the “good market behaviour”, Garbalena has warned that “difficulties” have arisen throughout the year and especially from the second quarter that could jeopardize the “profitability” of the companies to maintain the required levels of investment.
“Added to the lack and scarcity of components and materials and the difficulties in accessing markets, especially China, is the significant increase in energy prices,” he noted.
He assured that “all this, along with high inflation, has a strong impact on costs and forces us to focus efforts on “defending margins and deadlines” in the order book.
The association AFM Clúster, based in San Sebastián, unites 700 companies, with deep roots in the Basque Country, with a total of 16,500 employees and a turnover of 3,000 million euros.
The entity, which will hold its general meeting next Friday in the capital of Gipuzkoa, is finalizing preparations for the organization, four years later, at the BEC in Barakaldo (Bizkaia), the traditional BIEMH biennial for machine tools, which will from June 13 to 17, with more than 1,200 companies exhibiting.
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Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
