Development of automation in Germany January to August 2008 [Click to enlarge picture] Electronic industry 2007 Overview [Click to enlarge picture] Automation revenue 2007 [Click to enlarge picture] Automation applications worldwide 2006 [Click to enlarge picture] Automation manufacturing worldwide 2006 [Click to enlarge picture]

The German companies in the electrical automation technology industry have announced a 9 percent growth of sales to 42.8 billion Euro for the year 2007. Sales grew again in the first 3 quarters of 2008. “All the signs show that the development will continue, so that we expect a growth of 5 to 6 percent to the end of 2008,” says Roland Bent, a member of the board of the ZVEI-Fachverband Automation. The orders received by the companies increased in the first 3 quarters of 2008 by 6 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Bent foresaw: “Growth will therefore continue in 2009, although somewhat less dynamically with 2 to 4 percent less to the end of the year.” Exports in the first 8 months of 2008 increased by 7.2 percent to 18 billion Euro.

With an export quota of 77 percent, Germany remains the largest exporter of electrical automation technology in the world. The local market in 2007 increased even more strongly with 12.6 percent. In the first 8 months of 2008 the local demand grew by a further 7.8 percent compared to the same period of the previous year. Imports increased in comparison with the same period of the previous year again by 5.5 percent to 9 billion Euro. “In this way, there is no doubt, that the imports of German companies from their own foreign factories play a large role,” continues Bent.

Also the employment market has developed positively. After an increase of 7.3 percent in 2007, the number of employees in the current year grew by a further 3.7 percent to almost 235,000.Thus the electrical automation industry has added almost 8,000 working places in the first 9 months of 2008.