GERMANY - Meat and food production machinery and packaging equipment manufacturers are predicting a stable year, despite the present recession.
This is the view of exhibitors at the Anuga FoodTec exhibition in Cologne Germany this week.
While there are concerns that many of the meat processing companies, who want to expand their business, are finding it more difficult to negotiate the finance at the banks, equipment manufacturers are encouraged that there is still keen interest from companies to improve, modernise and invest.
The German machinery manufacturers said that for them to achieve results similar to last year, the financial markets would have to stabilise in the first quarter of this year.
Last year manufacturers of food production machinery and packaging equipment in Germany alone achieved an increase in turnover of five per cent.
But they said that this was met with a decline in orders in the last quarter of the year.
This was largely due to a fall off in orders coming from abroad.
Prof Herbert J Buckenhüskes, the head of food technology at the German Agricultural Society, DLG said that now the equipment manufacturers are putting their hopes in selling improve production processes that optimise production reducing the use of raw materials and reducing energy consumption.
The Anuga FoodTec exhibition runs in Cologne until 13 March.