In the first quarter of 2011, orders in the German machine tool industry have been growing in three digits. Compared to the same period last year, orders from January to March rose by 130 percent. It moved inner and outer demand almost the same. New orders from Germany grew by 127 percent, the foreign demand by 132 percent.

"The industry has picked up speed much faster and stronger than expected in the fall," said Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Managing Director of the VDW (Association of German Machine Tool Manufacturers) in Frankfurt am Main. That can be seen now powerfully in the transaction volume, which had grown with a high speed by 45 percent in the first quarter. Through these peaks orders approach, taking giant steps, the all-time high of 2007, the turnover lacks only a good tenth of the top level from 2008.