"As the world's fastest-growing economic entity, Chinese economy highly depends on the constant development of machine industries. Machine tool is indispensable, especially for large infrastructure projects and big engineering." said Mikel Artola, President of the Spanish Machine Tools, Accessories, Spare Parts and Tools Manufacturers Association (AFM) in the 11th China International Exhibition of Machine Tool in Beijing on June 13, 2012.

  The AFM where Mikel Artola works in has about 140 members, is committed to helping the member enterprises access to the international market.

   Spain is the third biggest machine manufacturing country in Europe. Germany and Italy have been the first and second largest market respectively to Spain for a long time. However, the ranking changed in 2011. China has become the biggest product export market for Spain as in machine tool, leaving Germany and Italy far behind. Not only for Spain, but also for the machine tool enterprises of other countries and regions, China is a huge potential market, which make them yearn for and itching for.

   From the perspective of Mikel Artola, comparing with China's machine tools, the Spanish machine tools are doing better in the flexibility and the innovation of science and technology. They can provide tailor-made machine tool products for users, but the price is comparatively high.

   Those who attended this exhibition also include the representatives of Bavarian mechanical engineering industry— the German Machinery Equipment Manufacturing Industry Association and Bayern Munich International. There were exhibitors from12 different fields in the Bavarian delegation organized by the Bayern Munich International and the German Machinery Equipment Manufacturing Industry Association. The main purpose of the Bavarian delegation is to promote the cooperation business relationship between Bavarian enterprises and Chinese potential partners.

    Alexandra Voss, the director, the ombudsman and the chief representative of DIHK in China region said that German enterprises are good at producing and supplying high-end machine tools for various industries. Therefore, in the last few decades, the German enterprises have always been very active in the Chinese market and already made great achievements. In the future, the good cooperation of mutual reciprocity and mutual benefit will continue to be the main driving factor for the two countries to develop closely in the machine industries.

    Now, the pattern of global economic competition is undergoing profound changes and adjustments. Accelerating the cultivation and development of high-end equipment manufacturing industries is to build the new international competitive advantage, to master the urgent needs of the development of the initiative, to transform economic development, and to promote the inherent requirements of the industrial structure upgrade.

     From an international point of view, the financial crisis makes the industrially developed countries attach importance to the development of the real economy. It also encourages them to come up with plans for the development of re-industrialization, low-carbon economy, the next generation of new energy and Smart Earth. It makes them target high-end manufacture and new industries to shape a new competitive advantage. Not only does it foster a fierce competition in the future development of China's high-end equipment, but also squeeze the market space of the products that already has advantages.

     Engels, director of Foreign Economic Department German Baden-Wurttemberg Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing Federation said in an interview that China had a great demand for machine tools out of the rapid economic development. As for the enterprises of Baden-Wurttemberg, Chinese market provides them with important opportunities. More importantly, they see the broad prospects of China's high-end equipment manufacturing industry in the next 5-10 years.

(Sources: China Economy Times)