The machine tool sector ends 2025 with mixed results across its various subsectors, and faces a 2026 shaped by the turbulent geopolitical situation

Following the finalisation of the data, the advanced manufacturing and machine tool sector has confirmed the slight slowdown already anticipated in the provisional figures. Turnover reached €2,247.6 million, representing a 3.27% decrease compared with 2024. Exports, meanwhile, have remained stable, with an increase of 0.82%, standing at €1,763.8 million

It is in the analysis by subsector that a clearly uneven trend is observed. The machining sector, with a wider variety of client sectors—some of which are in a growth phase—has performed positively, with a 1.56% increase in turnover, whilst the forming sector continues to be affected by the situation in the European automotive sector and fierce Chinese competition, recording an 11.93% decline. Among the other subsectors, components have maintained a favourable trend (+2.64%), whilst cutting tools (-6.94%) ended the financial year in negative territory.

As for the main export destinations, the United States ranks as the leading market with 13.66% of the total, closely followed by Germany (12.67%) and Mexico (9.01%). Next come Italy (8.48%), China (5.53%), France (5.49%), Portugal (3.92%) and Canada (3.86%).

“The figures for the end of 2025 reflect a highly challenging environment, in which strong export performance has helped to maintain turnover levels, particularly in the early stages. We are operating in a climate of high uncertainty, marked by challenges in key sectors and growing tensions in the main international markets. The war in Iran is reigniting inflationary risks caused by restrictions on international oil and gas trade, which are spilling over into other products and may exacerbate supply difficulties.

Europe, our main area of operation, continues to show weakness in some of its key industries, whilst China, increasingly selective in its imports, is consolidating its position as a global competitor. For its part, the United States, despite its controversial international behaviour, remains a strategic market for us, and India, although still with limited import capacity, is gaining ground as an emerging market with significant potential.

Even so, the sector continues to work towards the future, committing to innovation, technology, and increasing the speed at which our companies adapt,” says José Pérez Berdud, president of AFM Cluster.