At CHF114.2 million, Swiss-based Mikron Group’s order intake for the first half of 2017 was below the CHF124.7 million achieved in the first half of 2016.

Orders taken in the second quarter helped give the machining systems business a 7% boost compared with the first half of 2016; the service business also did well, exceeding last year’s first-half performance.

However, Mikron’s automation systems business suffered a 21% decrease in order intake.

It continued to win new orders from European customers in the pharmaceutical and med-tech industries, but US customers were very hesitant to invest, with individual pre-confirmed orders put on hold until the second half of the year.

In the first half of 2017, the Mikron Group had net sales of CHF118.4 million (compared to CHF127.0 million in 2016), and neither of the two business segments — machining and automation — was able to match the levels of last year’s first half (www.mikron.com).

Mikron says prospective orders for automation indicate a positive performance for the second half of 2017, adding that good results from most industry sectors — including writing instruments, watchmaking and electronics — are expected for its machining systems.

However, Mikron says demand from the automotive industry is still difficult to gauge, although overall it expects an increase in sales in the second half of 2017 that will see overall group sales for the year match 2016 levels.