Economy

Mechanical engineering no longer expects growth for 2026

The machine factory Berthold HERMLE AG has developed well in the first five months of 2026.

Association of the German Turned Parts Industry Discusses Raw Material Situation

The investment company Carlyle has announced that it has signed an agreement for the sale of Flender, a provider of mechanical drive technology, to Triton Fund 6 advised by Triton.

Gerhard Melcher, Head of Sales Machining and Marketing at BOEHLERIT, commented in an interview with zerspanungstechnik.de about the ECTA conference in Graz, the current situation of precision tool manufacturers, raw material shortages, and the future.

For the machinery and plant engineering sector in Germany, April showed a mixed picture. Foreign demand is positive, while domestic demand is declining. Political action is needed to create better conditions at the location in Germany.

In the first quarter of 2026, HERMLE AG was able to increase order intake by 15% and group revenue by 14% compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

In the first quarter of 2026, the order index for machine tools developed by the Centro Studi & Cultura di Impresa of UCIMU-SISTEMI PER PRODURRE recorded an increase of 3.1% compared to the period of January-March 2025. The absolute index value has settled at 87.1 (base 100 in 2021).

After a weak start to the year, order intake in mechanical engineering unexpectedly surged in March. Special effects were responsible, which do not indicate the beginning of a broad upswing.

The machine factory Berthold HERMLE AG performed well in 2025 under very turbulent external conditions and developed overall better than expected.

In a conversation with Zerspanungstechnik.de, Managing Director Markus Horn expressed his views on the current situation for precision tool manufacturers, the importance of trade fairs, and politics in Germany.

The dynamics of machine demand from the end of 2025 in US manufacturing technology continues in the first two months of 2026

As of January 1, 2026, Erich Timons has taken over the management of ISCAR Germany GmbH in Ettlingen. Previously, he worked as CTO. In the interview, he talks about trust, changes, market challenges, and the clear goal: sustainable growth instead of stagnation.

The order intake in mechanical engineering has once again declined in February, and the mood of the companies is deteriorating. However, hope for a timid economic recovery remains.