Michael Ziesemer, vice president of the German ZVEI

"In the first eight months of 2009 the number of new orders in the area of Measurement Instrumentation and Process Automation was down worldwide by an average of 16% compared with the same period of the previous year. However, we expect the current level to at least stabilise by the end of the year." This was the assessment given by Michael Ziesemer, vice president of the German ZVEI (assiciation of the electrical and electronics industry), at the Automation Congress of the German electrical and electronics industry trade association (ZVEI) Automation.

"For 2010 the sector is again expecting moderate growth of between three and four percent. However, the expected growth is in relation to the low level of 2009." In the first six months of 2009 sales in the Measurement Instrumentation and Process Automation sector in Germany fell to 6.8 billion Euros (-19 percent). Production output was 4.9 billion Euros (-22 percent). Impulses come in particular from the Middle East and China where growth was predominantly in the lower one-digit range. However, India showed growth in the higher one-digit range.

In Germany, Europe and the USA trade varied. However, it was weak and showed a minus of up to 25 percent. Trade in Russia was extremely poor. Here decreases of up to 40 percent were experienced.