China Machine Tool Builders’ Association: Machine Tool Industry Expected to Maintain Steady Performance in Second Half of the Year

Shanghai Securities News (Reporter Yimeier) — The China Machine Tool Builders’ Association released its report on the economic performance of the machine tool industry for the first half of 2025 on August 14. The report summarizes key operational indicators for the first half of 2025 and provides a forecast for the second half of the year.
Overall, effective investment in certain user industries continued to expand in the first half of 2025. Investment in equipment and tool purchases grew by 17.3% year-on-year, exceeding the growth rate of total investment by 14.5 percentage points. This drove sustained recovery in demand for machine tool hosts and sustained growth in exports of machine tool products. High-end demand from sectors such as new energy vehicles, aerospace, and consumer electronics has driven structural upgrades in the industry’s market demand. Under the combined influence of these factors, the overall operation of the machine tool industry has continued to recover, with the second quarter showing more stable performance.
The report indicates that in the first half of the year, the year-on-year declines in operating revenue, total profit, and profit margin of the machine tool industry all narrowed further. Specifically, second-quarter operating revenue achieved a 0.6% year-on-year increase and a 14.9% quarter-on-quarter increase; while total profits declined by only 1.2% year-on-year and surged by 122.6% quarter-on-quarter. Profit margins remained largely unchanged year-on-year but improved by 1.2 percentage points quarter-on-quarter. Analysts indicate that the recovery momentum stems from both exports and domestic demand, with exports demonstrating stronger driving force.
Since the beginning of this year, the total import and export value of machine tool products has maintained growth, with the growth rate showing an expanding trend. Imports ended the downward trend that had persisted since the first quarter of 2022 and turned to growth, while exports continued to grow with an expanding growth rate. In the second quarter, imports of machine tool products increased by 5.8% year-on-year and 12.3% quarter-on-quarter; exports increased by 10.3% year-on-year and 10.7% quarter-on-quarter. Furthermore, the growth rates and ranking shifts of export destinations reveal robust demand for machine tools from industrializing Southeast Asian nations.
With sustained macroeconomic support policies and demand from emerging high-end application sectors, the machine tool industry’s high-tech, high-quality products may encounter new market opportunities. In the second half of 2025, the machine tool sector is expected to maintain stable overall operations.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)