The Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) has analysed the export/import data for three parts of its sector, covering machine tools; cutting tools; and tool/work-holding equipment.

During 2007, exports of machine tools were worth £471.7million, while imports were valued at £578.6 million (including ‘one-off’ items, estimated at around £80million). Of these totals, CNC machine tools, accounted for 63% of exports and 67% of imports.

There were significant trade surpluses in 2007 for machining centres (£26.4million) and CNC grinding machines (£24.4million); at the same time, there was a significant deficit for CNC presses (£93.7million), physico-chemical machines (£25.6million) and CNC boring machines (£21.7million). Overall, there was a trade deficit of £28.4million for metal cutting machines and £78.5million in the metal forming sector.

There was also a small deficit for cutting tools – these are defined, where possible, as tools for use in cutting metals. Exports during 2007 were worth £198.0million, 1.7 per cent lower than in 2006; while imports also fell by 1.7 per cent to £214.1million, leaving a deficit of £16.1million.

Other European countries are the main trading partners for this part of the manufacturing technologies sector, although the USA makes it into the top 5 list for both exports and imports; and China was the fifth most important source for imports of cutting tools.

For tool/work-holding equipment there is a trade surplus, although at £10million, this was lower than in previous years. In particular, the value of exports fell to £75.4million largely because the high value of exports to India in 2006 proved to be only temporary, although this is also the lowest figure since MTA started tracking the data for this sector in 2000. Imports of tool/work-holding equipment were also lower than in 2006, at £65.3million.

Geoff Noon, an MTA statistician commented: “At first glance 2007, was a mixed year for international trade in the manufacturing technology sector; trends were complicated by some large ‘one-off’ trade, especially in machine tool imports and exports of tool/work-holding equipment (in 2006) and by some changes in the machine tool manufacturing base. Analysing these issues, we believe that the strong growth in exports of machine tools to Europe supports our view that the engineering sector there, and particularly in Germany, remains a very positive influence on the business levels being experienced by our members and their customers. The prospects for 2008 still appear to be positive for the engineering sector, led by both direct and indirect export demand from Europe, despite the problems in some other parts of the economy”.