Mining Equipment little demand

In large drop in sales suffering from the German manufacturer of mining equipment yet - the employers even expect a sales increase for 2009. Which others can currently only dream of. But even here there are not only good news: the industry is struggling with falling orders.

Yet it is the manufacturers of mining equipment reasonably well. Source: dpa
FOOD. In sharp contrast to many other areas of plant and machinery, the German manufacturer of mining equipment not suffer big sales drops. On the contrary, expect around 130 mostly medium-sized companies with 14 500 employees in 2009 with a sales increase of ten percent to around four billion euros. This is due mainly to the high order backlogs and long lead times of up to two years for major projects.

In the orders, the weaker economy, however, is already arrived. "The orders are in the current year considerably, partly decreased by up to 50 percent," said Paul Rhinehart, Chairman of the Association of mining equipment in the industry association VDMA and managing director of the Bochum Gebr Eickhoff Maschinenfabrik. He however does not, that this will hit full in the coming year, but hopes that the producers can keep the revenue substantially. A forecast for 2010, he does not want to.

Problems are mainly exports to the key export markets of Russia, USA, India and Australia. There were drops of sometimes more than 30 percent. The industry is heavily export oriented and has a share of exports in turnover of 86 percent.

Sales to Russia will decline, according to Rhinelander already this year by around 35 percent. Reason, above all the financial problems of the customers, but also marketing difficulties because of the crisis in the steel industry and the fall in commodity prices. Therefore, the association expects for 2010 declining exports to Russia. Even in business with China are on lower sales, as Chinese manufacturers have become serious competitors. Compensation found by the German companies in developing new markets, especially in Central and South America.

german mining equipment industry

WAZ: NRW checked mine operation in cooperation with University
Essen (ots) - North Rhine-Westphalia Economics Minister Harry Voigtsberger (SPD) explores the opportunities for the operation of a mine in cooperation with a university. As the newspapers of the WAZ media group Essen (Wednesday edition) report is currently looking for a specialized department of the Ministry, how and where such a "reference bill" could be operated. A "scientific mining" is listed in the ministry as a possible "model for the period after 2018".

"A reference mine, which produces not to compete or not to rely on subsidies, it would facilitate the mining supply industry to offer its products worldwide," said ministry spokesman Stefan Groene tree of the WAZ media group. With its technologies, the industry is a world leader. NRW Minister Voigtsberger leave right now at the Department examine "what options there are to create sustainable conditions for such mining," the ministry spokesman.

The supplier industry supports the initiative. "If the proposal implemented, this would be an important contribution to the innovative leadership of German mining technology to secure about 2018 more," said Klaus Stöckmann from the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). The German mining equipment industry currently generates approximately 15,000 employees with nearly four billion euros in sales per year. Several German universities are in the mining sector to be particularly qualified, including the University of Applied Sciences Georg Agricola Bochum, RWTH Aachen, TU Clausthal (Lower Saxony) and the TU Bergakademie Freiberg (Saxony).