Aruanded

Payments in the Czech machinery sector take around 40 days, with ‘days sales outstanding’ (DSO) for smaller businesses of about 50 days.

Compared to other US industries the rate of insolvencies is low in the machinery sector, and it is expected that business failures will level off or even decrease slightly (by about 1%) in H2 of 2015.

The outlook for the machinery industry is promising, as the Italian economy is expected to grow 0.6% in 2015 and 0.9% in 2016 after two years of contraction.

The machinery sector should benefit from the economic rebound in France, with GDP forecast to grow 1.1% in 2015 (after 0.2% in 2014) and stronger growth in industrial production and exports.

China’s machinery sector has seen high overcapacity: profits of machinery businesses will be squeezed further by fierce competition, as companies have to offer lower prices to keep market shares.

The Swedish machinery sector has seen many positive developments over the past few years and currently benefits from higher global demand.

Hungary has become a key production base for automotive majors such as Audi, Daimler (Mercedes-Benz), Suzuki and General Motors.

Jordan’s economic growth is expected to accelerate from 3.1% in 2014 to 4.3% in 2015.

In 2015 and 2016 Egypt’s economy is expected to grow by more than 4%, as improved stability in the country will boost domestic demand.

Despite the UAE’s overall diversification, the lower oil price is expected to take its toll on economic growth.

Tunisia’s economy is expected to grow moderately in 2015 and 2016, supported by increased demand from the eurozone.

Saudi Arabia’s GDP growth is expected to slow down to 3.0% in 2015 following a growth of 3.6% in 2014.

An expected rebound in agriculture will lead to higher GDP growth in 2015, forecast to increase 4.6%. Growth is also sustained by increasing exports, mainly to the eurozone.

In 2015, Kuwait's economic growth is expected to decrease to 1.7% due to the lower oil price and decreased oil production.

Concerns in 2014 over an impending crisis in Russia were overblown. But insolvencies have increased and specific industries are affected badly by the ongoing recession.

Despite its growing economy, Japan faces major demographic challenges. There is an urgent need to make the labour market more flexible to achieve a sustainable rebound and boost economic performance.

After three years of contraction, Italy’s economy is expected to grow by 0.6% in 2015.

The UK economy expanded by 2.6% in 2014, the fastest pace of growth since 2007. While consumer spending was the main driver, real fixed investments also increased.

While exports, industrial production and investments are expected to decrease year-on-year in 2015, private consumption is expected to rise 1.1% in 2015.

The Swedish economy is set to grow by 2.4 % in 2015, with industrial production rebounding after three years of decline. Household consumption and investment growth are expected to continue.