Machine construction and plant engineering is one of Austria's key industrial sectors with 90,000 employees and a production output of 13.6 billion Euro in 2001. Over 60% of Austria's production in this sector is exported. The main importers are the European Union countries,  followed by Eastern Europe, the US, and Asia.

Particularly the construction, power and farm equipment, packaging and plastics machinery segments are rapidly expanding. The leading growth sector, is the textile, papermaking and printing  machinery segment, with an average growth rate of 33 percent.

Austria is not only a significant producer of  machinery for export but is also a major importer of machinery. OECD data reveal that Austrian businesses proportionally spend more on investment in technological equipment than do firms in Germany, the US, France, or Great Britain.