According to the VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies, a trade association of the VDMA mechanical engineering association in Germany, the orders and sales of German manufacturers in this sector are still on a growth course: in the period from October 2021 to September 2022, incoming orders increased by 37 percent in real terms and the technology manufacturers are also positive about sales with growth of 14 percent compared to the previous year. Only exports in the field of sewing and clothing technology were weaker in the first eight months of 2022 and fell by five percent to 265 million euros.
The most important export market was Poland, followed by Italy and France. The German suppliers of shoe and leather technology were again able to increase their exports by eight percent to 34 million euros in the period from January to August 2022. The main buyer countries here were the USA, Mexico and Italy.
Exports of German laundry and dry cleaning technology also increased in the first eight months of 2022 by 17 percent to 272 million euros. As in the previous year, the most important export markets were Poland, the USA and Turkey.
“The mood among the manufacturers of Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies is almost consistently positive,” said Elgar Straub, Managing Director of VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies at the industry meeting of the association in Brussels. “Despite the enormous increase in energy costs, the still existing problems in the supply chains and the still unforeseeable consequences of the war, the industry representatives report well-filled order books.”