A bittersweet year for the machine tool: despite rising exports, they've billed less
In the face of China's "threat," the automobile closed the year 2025 with a 12% reduction in demand, while it was a record year in defense and aeronautics.
Xabier Ortueta and Jose Perez Berdud, today in Donostia.
The year 2025 was a difficult and unstable year for the machine toolsector s, and this year's is on the same path. Last year's year closed with a turnover of EUR 2.247 billion, 3.27% less than in the previous year, but with the best export performance in its history.
The president and CEO of AFM Cluster, Jose Perez Berdud and Xabier Ortueta , respectively, have drawn up this scenario at a press conference held this morning in San Sebastian, where the results have been reported and the forecasts for the coming months have been announced.
Perez Berdud has pointed out that the machine tool sector has withstood the "complex geopolitical context,"but added that if the war in Iran continues, "side damage will be felt," as the energy crisis "will increase significantly," which will harm "all business units."
According to the cluster, the "big challenge" for the future today is to address "China's steady growth "and" extremely competitive prices, "so they have called on European leaders to take steps to prevent dumping.
All this has led to a decline in turnover, among others, which closed last year with a turnover of EUR 2.274 billion, three points lower than in 2024 . However, they acknowledge that the situation by subsectors was' very different '. Thus, there was more growth than ever in the rail, aeronautics, defence or energy sectors, but they are having difficult months for self-related companies due to the' threat from China '.
Exports, on the other hand, increased by 0.82% : sales abroad amounted to €1,760 million, without detecting the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs. a United States remains the main external market, with 13.66% of exports channelled to it, followed by Germany (12.67%), Mexico (9.01%), Italy (8.48%), China (5.53%), France (5.49%), Portugal (3.0%) and A3.0%).
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