The chip-removal machinery subsector is showing somewhat stronger activity, growing by 18.44%, closely followed by metal forming at almost 10%. Thus, we have witnessed a gradual recovery in the two major subsectors of the industry.

The generally positive performance of machine tool customer sectors, particularly the strong growth in the energy sector, the recovery of the automotive and aerospace industries, along with demand from the capital goods and other sectors, have contributed to the strong figures for both subsectors.
Regarding exports, the year ended with 3.8% growth, marking two consecutive years of increases and reaching €1,288.3 million, a figure that practically matches the record for foreign sales in 2019.

Our main export destinations in 2022 were Italy, Germany, the USA, France, and China. Rounding out the top ten were Mexico, Portugal, Turkey, the UK, and Poland. Sales to Italy are particularly noteworthy, as it became our leading export market for the first time ever in 2022, thanks to government programs designed to incentivize investment in state-of-the-art production equipment. Other markets that performed exceptionally well in 2022 included the USA (metal forming) and Germany (metal cutting).

José Pérez Berdud, president of AFM Cluster, explains: “The truth is that once again it has been demonstrated that our companies are well prepared to navigate extremely complex situations. Our commitment to people, technology, and internationalization has allowed us to overcome the situation created by the war, supply difficulties, very high inflation, and the increased cost of financing, among other adverse factors, to close out a good year.”

ORDER GENERATIONS AND 2023 FORECAST
In 2022, order intake was strong for both the startup and the growing business, which regained momentum after several somewhat weak years. With order growth of 11.28% throughout the year, the accumulated order book suggests a year of revenue growth in 2023.
This positive trend in order generation has continued into the first three months of 2023, albeit at a slightly slower pace. Nevertheless, through March, we have been able to match the order generation figures of the first quarter of 2022. The measures adopted to cool the economy are affecting demand and the cost of financing, and this may influence order generation and the pace of decision-making, especially for simpler equipment and within the SME sector. We are, however, observing strong momentum in large, more technically complex projects, which are holding steady despite the challenges. In any case, the good order books that our companies have, and the good start to the year, suggest that the turnover for 2023 will grow by 5%.

AFM Cluster's CEO, Xabier Ortueta, adds: “Making predictions in this turbulent environment is not easy, but we are cautiously optimistic. We have a robust portfolio, which will help us maintain good activity levels throughout the year. Sustaining the excellent growth of 2022 will be challenging, and our forward-looking analysis points to a slowdown for at least six months.
In any case, this downturn is expected to be temporary. The anticipated stabilization of economic indicators and the positive outlook for most of the strategic sectors in which we are well-positioned lead us to believe that demand will recover again in 2024.”

In this context of a good workload, it is crucial that the sector continues to defend profitability in order to continue investing in the magic formula: people and innovation to strengthen our competitiveness.

The Need to Attract Talent to the Industry: The Sector's Main Challenge.
As a knowledge-based sector, skilled people and their talent are the machine tool industry's most valuable asset. However, the reality is that they are becoming a scarce and highly sought-after commodity, making it an urgent challenge to communicate the benefits of this strategic sector to society, and especially to young people.

José Pérez adds: “The demographic situation is a factor that cannot be corrected in the short or medium term, and as a society we must be imaginative in changing birth rates while simultaneously facilitating the arrival of people with a vocation for working in industry. Meanwhile, the machine tool industry must be presented as a highly attractive career path for young people. We need to redirect career aspirations toward an environment where the work is very interesting, highly innovative, and internationalized. The machine tool industry values ​​its employees, and working in our sector offers a well-paid career path in enriching and diverse environments.”

Regarding the still unequal presence of women in our industry, the president of AFM Cluster says: “It is our responsibility to incorporate more women into industrial companies. We must be highly proactive in correcting a historical deficit, generating messages that show the true reality of our industry and its attractiveness to women as a job.”