Industria meccanicaMacchine alimentari > Production and sales food processing machines

Food processing machines and machinery industry 2008 - 2020

Food processing machines outperform machinery industry in terms of production and sales

Production and sales of food processing machinery are compared with the German machinery industryfrom the pre-crisis year 2008 to 2020. This shows the extent to which this sector has outperformed, underperformed or even developed like the machinery industry itself. The year 2008 serves as a common starting point and is set equal to 100.

Update November 10th, 2021 - In 2011, production in the German machinery industry emerged from the global economic crisis of 2008/2009. From then until 2020, however, machinery production didn't grow rather dropped by an average of minus 1% per year.


By contrast, food machinery production grew by an average of 0.8% per year during this period - more than twice as fast as machinery industry.

Production of food processing machines compared to machinery industry from 2008 to 2020.

In the growth phase of the prroduction of machinery industry from 2011 to 2018, the average rate is +1.1% p.a. while that of food machinery is 3.1% p.a., almost three times as strong!


The decline in machinery industry's production is minus 8% p.a. from 2019/2020, while food machinery production declines at a less pronounced rate of minus 6.7% p.a. over the same period.


The production of food processing machinery is therefore developing at an above-average rate compared to the machinery industry.

Sales of food processing machines growing more strongly than those of machinery industry

While sales in machinery industry grow by 0.3% per year from 2011 to 2020, sales of food processing machinery show a growth rate six times higher at 2% per year.

Sales of food processing machines compared to machinery industry from 2008 to 2020.

In its growth phase from 2011 to 2018, sales of machinery industry achieve a rate of +2.5% per year, while sales of food processing machinery are almost twice as high at +4.6% per year.


The decline of the two years 2019/2020 hits the sales of machinery industry at minus 6.9% per year. Food machinery sales slump by almost the same amount, at minus 6.7% p.a.


Over the nine-year period from 2011 to 2020, sales of food processing machinery develop well above average, six times more strongly than those of mechanical engineering to be precise.

Foreign sales of food processing machines four times stronger than those of machinery industry

Foreign sales of food processing machinery develop at an above-average rate of 2.7% p.a. from 2011 to 2020 compared with machinery industry - four times stronger than foreign sales of machinery industry at 0.6% p.a.

Domestic and foreign sales food processing machines compared to machinery industry from 2008 to 2020.

Domestic sales of food processing machinery are also developing more strongly than mechanical engineering.

Bookmark and Share

Growth expectations with food processing machines

Growth expectations to 2020: Lower than in machinery industry


Industry structure food processing machines

Industry structure 2017: Smaller and mid-sized firms stronger


Machinery industry's production 2008 - 2023

March 2023: Production stagnating, sales on new high