The construction equipment manufacturing sector had a mixed first half of 2025 with regard to order books according to the German manufacturer’s association, the VDMA. While orders in June were down 5% in real terms on the previous year, the first six months of the current year saw a slight increase of 1%.
“This growth is solely attributable to rising demand from the eurozone countries and should be a positive sign that Europe is indeed in the process of strengthening its own position,” explained VDMA chief economist Dr Johannes Gernandt. In contrast, the 2% decline in orders in real terms in the second quarter reflects the uncertainty triggered primarily by the tariff dispute between the EU and the US.
“It is not yet possible to estimate what impact the planned 15% tariff on imports into the US will have on machinery industry. At least companies now have planning security, which has been bought at a high price – provided the ‘deal’ holds,” said Dr Gernandt.
In June, orders from both domestic and foreign markets fell by 5% in real terms compared with the previous year. Growth of 16% from eurozone countries was offset by a 13% decline in orders from non-eurozone countries. Overall, orders were down 5%.
In the second quarter of 2025, domestic orders fell by 2%, while foreign orders declined by 1% (eurozone countries: up 19%, non-eurozone countries: down 9%). This resulted in a 2% decline in orders from April to June compared with the previous year.
In the first half of 2025, companies recorded a 1% decline in domestic orders, while foreign orders rose by 2%. Orders from the eurozone increased by 16%, while orders from non-euro countries fell by 3%. The bottom line was a small increase in orders of 1%.
