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Country proportions of the world market in Automation 2006 of 228 bn. Euro, Source: ZVEI, [click the picture to enlarge]
Automation in Germany – changes in 2006 compared to previous year, source: ZVEI, [click the picture to enlarge]
Key technologies in a time bar, Source: ZVEI, [click the picture to enlarge]
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With an increase of turnover of almost 9% to more than 38 bn Euro and a growth of orders received of 8 %, 2006 was a good year for the German automation industry, reports the ZVEI Association in a résumé of the previous year. This swing will last until 2008, predicts the Director of the Association, Helmut Gierse. Although the large engine of growth was exports with 12.4%, also the inland market with 3.6% was on the growth path again. The industry employs 211 000 people in Germany, 1.7% more than in the previous year. The positive development is mainly due to the technology segments and all the export regions. Especially good are conditions in the process automation with a growth of almost 9%, reported Michael Ziesemer, a director of the trade association in this segment. This growth, now in its third year, will probably increase again in 2007. At the peak are the fields of oil and gas as well as raw material industries but environment and water preparation are growth areas.
According to ZVEI the world market for automation in the past year grew by a good 6% to 228 bn Euro, after a growth of 4% in the previous year. The German portion of world’s production is 14%. According to a ZVEI poll, a brake on growth threatens to be the lack of qualified follow-up staff in Germany. Already today, some companies judge that, because of lack of trained personnel, there is an unrealized growth of 1-3%. Thus, the association expects an intensification of the problem in view of the decrease in the number of students starting in engineering disciplines and informatics.
How the technology will develop in the coming years in general and what tasks will face the automation industry resulting from this has been investigated by the ZVEI in the study “Integrated technologies – roadmap automation 2015+”. The roadmap shows, as a trend monitor, the direction of the German industry in the technological future. Increasing requirements will be made on the ZVEI as regards flexibility of automation solutions. A growing contribution to this will be made by the wireless technologies that will be developed in communication technology. In order to further develop wireless solutions the segment association is challenged to make greater efforts in frequency harmonization without which the global use of this technology will be strongly hindered.
