A brief analysis of the prospects and uncertainties of the Japanese machine tool industry

The latest statistics released by the Japan Machine Tool Industry Association show that from January to September, the order value of Japanese machine tools was 997.1 billion yen, a year-on-year increase of 41.9%. Although it was affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake at the beginning of the year, increasing overseas demand is the main reason for the increase in orders. Motohiko Yokoyama, chairman of the Japan Machine Tool Industry Association, said that although orders from China have decreased, orders from Europe and the United States have grown for 21 consecutive months, and the equipment investment plans of automobile and machinery companies in Europe and the United States have always maintained a slow growth trend. At the same time, due to the impact of the floods in Thailand, the machine tools and equipment of some enterprises in Thailand need to be replaced or repaired. After the situation stabilizes, the demand for machine tools and accessories will soar. Chairman Yokoyama Motohiko also said that due to the continuous appreciation of the yen, some machine tool equipment manufacturers plan to reduce the scale of production in Japan and transfer to overseas production, and the prospects of the Japanese machine tool equipment industry are still unclear.