(ČIA) Production in countries associated in the European association of machine tool manufacturers CECIMO fell by 26% in 2020, in the Czech Republic by 35%. This was reported by Veletrhy Brno (BVV), the organiser of the International Engineering Fair. The export of Czech machine tools and forming machines to Germany fell by 46% y/y last year, i.e. ca. CZK 2bn. Oldřich Paclík, the director of the Association of Engineering Technology, said that in addition to the covid, the transformation of the European energy and automotive industries also contributed to the negative development of the sector. Due to the decline in demand for cars and the transformation to zero-emission technologies, manufacturers and especially their subcontractors postponed their investments. He added that this year's results will remain roughly at 2020 levels. The biggest decline, he said, was in the production of grinding machines and boring mills, where output had halved.