The general Business Climate Index for the Agricultural Machinery Industry in Europe remains at a high level, without any significant changes over the last 3 months, according to an update from the European Agricultural Machinery Assn. The index's reading dropped slightly to 53 points this month.

The report stated, "The volume of orders correspondents currently to a production period of 6.1 months, which is another all-time high ever recorded within this survey — and despite order books at record levels, the manufacturers continue to be faced with a dynamic order intake."

Over half of surveyed companies in this month's update "expect a production stop due to the lack of certain parts in the coming month. Even more critical appears the situation for combine and tractor manufacturers, where two out of three are forced to temporarily stop production in the coming four weeks."