Turkey’s machine exports, including those to free zones, reached $23.3 billion in the first 10 months of 2024, despite a slight decrease in quantity. Germany remains the largest market for Turkey’s machinery exports, while the U.S. and Russia rank second and third. Exports to Russia, however, saw a decline of 15.8.

According to the Turkish Machinery Exporters’ Association (MAİB), Turkey’s total machine exports, including free zones, amounted to $23.3 billion in value by the end of October 2024, matching last year’s figures. While the quantity of exports decreased by 4.3% to 3.1 million tons, unit prices rose, with an average export price per kilogram reaching $7.5 in October. This led to a 4.3% month-on-month increase, surpassing $2.5 billion in exports.

Machinery sectors such as household and industrial cooling machines, internal combustion engines, and construction and mining machinery saw the highest export volumes. Germany remained the top destination for Turkish machinery exports, followed by the U.S. and Russia, with the latter experiencing a 15.8% drop in exports.

Kutlu Karavelioğlu, President of MAİB, emphasized the importance of adapting to global challenges, stating, “We must enhance our focus on niche areas, expanding production scales and technological diversity to maintain our competitiveness.” Karavelioğlu also warned of the potential impact of rising global protectionism, particularly in the U.S., where the possibility of new tariffs could disrupt global trade flows.

Despite global economic uncertainties, the Turkish machinery sector is positioned for growth, leveraging increased export unit prices to offset the slight dip in volume. However, Karavelioğlu cautioned that rising production costs could eventually strain profitability and employment growth within the industry.