Arbeiter in einem Werk stehen für Auftragseingang im Verarbeitenden Gewerbe.

© Monty Rakusen/cultura/Corbis

According to the Federal Statistical Office1 , new manufacturing orders fell by 1.1%  between June and July. Due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, they declined for the sixth time in succession.2 New orders were thus 13.6% below their level a year earlier.

The decline in July compared with the preceding month was primarily due to fewer orders for capital goods and especially for consumer goods (-0.2% and -16.9% respectively). In contrast, manufacturers of intermediate goods reported an increase in orders of 1.5%. Domestic orders fell by 4.5%. Overall, orders from abroad rose by 1.3%. Orders from outside the eurozone increased by 6.5%, while orders from within the eurozone declined by 6.4%.

Manufacturing orders fell in the important sectors of cars/car parts and mechanical engineering (-0.3% and -4.1% respectively). The manufacture of other vehicles again saw a sharp drop (-21.9%). Electrical equipment reported a strong rise (+18.7%), while pharmaceutical products and chemical products also saw significant declines (-23.6% and -5.7% respectively).

 In view of the war and the high gas prices, demand in the manufacturing sector continued to be weak at the beginning of the third quarter. Looking ahead to the second half of the year, the outlook for industry remains subdued. This is also refected by the fact that the business climate has cooled and export expectations have deteriorated.

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1 Press release by the Federal Statistical Office of 6 September 2022.


2 All figures are based on provisional data and have been adjusted for price, calendar day and seasonal factors (X13 JDemetra+ procedure).