Verein Deutscher Werkzeugmaschinenfabriken eV (VDW)

The machine tool industry
With approx. With 72,000 employees and a production volume of just over € 16 billion in 2017, the German machine tool industry is one of the five largest branches in mechanical engineering. Although it represents only a relatively small industry as a whole, it plays an important role in the overall economic development worldwide. It provides production technology for metalworking in all industries and contributes significantly to innovation and productivity advances in the industry. The success of the machine tool industry is thus an important indicator of the dynamism and performance of the German economy, an indispensable engine for economic development and a major driver of progress and technical innovation.

Also in international comparison – both in production and in export – the German machine tool industry has occupied top places for decades. With a world market share of 16.6 percent, Germany was in second place behind China and ahead of Japan in 2017. Around 70 percent of production, ie products valued at around € 10.1 billion, were sold abroad.

The industry owes its efficiency not least to the decision-making and flexibility of medium-sized entrepreneurs. Just over one-tenth of manufacturers have more than 1,000 employees, and about 54 percent of companies employ fewer than 250 people.