Top News
Incoming orders in the mechanical engineering sector in Germany increased by 14 percent in real terms in January compared to the previous year.
Machinery exports grew by almost 8 percent in 2017 - Exports to China increased significantly by nearly 23 percent - Mexico recorded the biggest increase - Great Britain one of the few losers
Mechanical engineering exports to the partner country of the Hannover Messe grew considerably in 2017. VDMA trusts in improvements in trade brought on by a new agreement between the EU and Mexico.
The European Commission is proposing a Europe-wide framework for IT security. VDMA warns that some of the planned actions would have a negative impact on industry.
Mechanical engineering is succeeding in driving the digital transformation - so far mainly in production, but soon through new business models, too.
The “America First” approach is nothing more than a return to the early days of capitalism. World trade is not a zero-sum game where one country wins and another loses.
News
08.07.2020
The EU Commission has published its EU hydrogen strategy and strategy for integrating energy systems. An important step from the point of view of the VDMA. A fully integrated energy system is the key to a climate-neutral future and economic success.
The Corona pandemic is hitting the export-strong Bavarian mechanical and plant engineering industry with full force. In a recent VDMA survey, 70 percent of the companies report serious declines in incoming orders. "There has never been such a crisis before. Its duration and consequences are therefore difficult to assess at present. Uncertainty and the lack of investment are placing a heavy burden on the Bavarian mechanical and plant engineering industry," explains Claudia Haimer, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of VDMA Bavaria at the Annual Press Conference 2020.
02.07.2020
Free trade and open borders are indispensable for prosperity and the preservation of many jobs in Germany and Europe. This applies all the more in times when protectionists are increasingly trying to restrict international trade.
01.07.2020
The labour market figures show that an extension of short-time work would be urgently necessary. A decision must be taken quickly, as the companies need planning security.
25.06.2020
From January 2021, almost every manufacturer of machinery and equipment in Europe will have to enter information on chemical substances used into the database (SCIP) of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).
24.06.2020
Total sales in the 1st quarter of 2020 for photovoltaics machine manufacturers are less than 50 percent of the previous year's level. Order intake promises recovery. 90 percent of Asian orders come from China.
18.06.2020
The VDMA clearly rejects a de facto ban on contracts for work and services for all industries, as demanded by some politicians
18.06.2020
2019: Growth in sales, incoming orders and workforce - 2020: Upturn halted by Corona crisis - Key market drivers: digitalization, diversification and green drive
18.06.2020
By tightening the Foreign Trade and Payments Act, the Federal Government is sending out a completely wrong signal. If Germany wants to maintain its industrial base in the long term, foreign capital must flow into the country.
Robotics and automation from Germany cannot escape from the economic consequences of the corona crisis: VDMA R+A is currently expecting a drop in sales of at least 20 percent for 2020. The fundamental growth prospects of the industry, however, are positive for the time after COVID-19.
09.06.2020
Climate protection needs hydrogen, modern plant engineering and political clarity. This clarity is finally foreseeable with the hydrogen strategy.
05.06.2020
Also in the fourth round of negotiations on Britain's withdrawal, no agreement was reached between the EU and the UK. A hard Brexit is now approaching.
04.06.2020
The effects of the corona pandemic have hit the German machine and plant construction industry with force in April.
04.06.2020
German and French companies announce progress towards the European data ecosystem GAIA-X together with the Ministers of Economics Peter Altmaier and Bruno Le Maire.
03.06.2020
A further increase in unemployment must be prevented by lowering the financial and legal barriers to new recruitment. This includes the temporary assumption of social contributions.
02.06.2020
A tightening of the Foreign Trade Ordinance, which would be negative for the mechanical engineering industry, is off the table for the time being. However, the risk remains.
02.06.2020
France has opted for purchase premiums for cars. However, the VDMA president warns against the erroneous path of a subsidy race among the EU states.
28.05.2020
The 5th VDMA flash survey shows that almost all machine manufacturers are suffering from the economic consequences of the corona pandemic. But there are also rays of hope.
27.05.2020
Up to now, larger medium-sized companies have been clearly disadvantaged in the promotion of research. It is good that the Ministry of Research now wants to make improvements here.
22.05.2020
The gradual lifting of compulsory quarantine in Germany for entry and return from EU and EFTA countries is the right thing to do. However, the patchwork of regulations is a great nuisance.
20.05.2020
The corona pandemic and the lockdown to contain it have hit society and industry hard - with hitherto unforeseeable consequences. In particular, companies acutely need sufficient liquidity to cope with the direct and indirect consequences of the pandemic and to bridge the period until the economy picks up again.
14.05.2020
The corona crisis must not lead to strategic mistakes in the tax system. Companies need a tax system that is conducive to growth.
13.05.2020
At the end of the year, total revenue for the fourth quarter falls by 4 percent for solar equipment manufacturers compared with the previous quarter. Order intake slumps significantly in the 4th quarter. There is a clouded mood for the year 2020.
12.05.2020
Companies urgently need open borders in Europe again. Quarantine regulations must also be dropped.
11.05.2020
Corona weighs heavily in the mechanical engineering sector: order losses and cancellations are becoming increasingly noticeable. The travel restrictions are also causing the companies major problems.
Olaf Wortmann: Incoming Orders May 2020
The sharp decline in incoming orders in the mechanical and plant engineering sector continued in May, as expected. Orders fell by 28 percent in real terms compared with the previous year.
Hartmut Rauen: Studie "Antrieb im Wandel - Brennstoffzelle"
Die Brennstoffzelle bietet großes Potenzial, immer mehr Fahrzeuge werden damit ausgerüstet. Dazu braucht es großes Know-how, das im Maschinenbau vorhanden ist. Hartmut Rauen beschreibt den Weg zur erfolgreichen Nutzung der Brennstoffzellentechnologie.
Must Reads
23.06.2020
At HANNOVER MESSE - Digital Days on 15 July, the guide and descriptions of nine use cases on 5G in mechanical and plant engineering will be published. The occasion is the VDMA panel discussion "5G in mechanical engineering: from technology push to market pull". The guide and the use cases have been available exclusively to VDMA members since April 2020.
The currently spreading "coronavirus" is leading to considerable uncertainty in the personal and professional sphere.
Corona continues to have a firm grip on us, the effects on personnel recruitment and the need for young people are uncertain. Your help is therefore required - please let us know our assessments by 8 May 2020.
The VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association has launched a new knowledge portal on sustainable packaging and packaging technologies.
Please take the opportunity to give us feedback on the technical implementation and the economic effort you have made.
The DAkkS has currently stopped the on-site assessments. These will be replaced by remote assessments.
At present, an organisation Transparenzregister e.V. sends out e-mails in different versions requesting companies to register in the transparency register within 10 days using the link provided in the e-mail.
Figuring at the top of the agenda and the three words on everyone’s lips in Brussels, the Green New Deal positions the new European Commission as a global leader on climate action. VDMA European Office takes a look at the planned measures and their potential impact on the mechanical engineering sector.
On 14 November 2019, the German Bundestag passed the draft bill for the implementation of the 5th EU Money Laundering Directive.
02.12.2019
On behalf of 17 associations, the VDMA has sent an open letter to Vice-President Frans Timmermans on the importance of hydrogen and P2X in the fight against climate change on the occasion of the first working day of the new Commission.
29.11.2019
The Whistleblower Directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 26 November 2019.
27.11.2019
The VDMA has long been fighting for the manufacturer's self-declaration in the marketing of European machine and plant engineering products. In the future, this point of view should be represented even more intensively in countries outside the European Economic Union.
14.11.2019
Update: The tax research subsidy is on the home straight. It is scheduled to come into force on 1 January 2020. Find out what the new funding instrument can do for your company.
12.11.2019
Climate change is at the top of the agenda: this applies to politics, legislation and business.
20.09.2019
With the declaration of the Circular Plastic Alliance, the EU is taking an important step towards more recycling in Europe.
16.09.2019
The jury has decided: Four universities will have the chance to be named "Best Machine House 2019" at the award ceremony on 29 October 2019 in Berlin. You are already guaranteed 20,000 euros in prize money.
With this monitoring, the Federal Government would like to obtain a comprehensive evaluation of the state of implementation of human rights due diligence by companies based in Germany.
22.08.2019
Joint project of VDA and VDMA Materials Handling and Intralogistics Association +++ First phase of development in final phase and available online
On the occasion of the Day of German Unity, in|pact media Verlag publishes a special publication "Zukunft Deutschland - Innovationen, Technologien, Chancen" in the Handelsblatt.
16.07.2019
Cybersecurity needs further legislation to allow the Internal Market to make an effective contribution to digitisation.
Mechanical Engineering - Pacemaker of the "Industrial Transformation"
Friend or foe? - Dealing with foreign investors
Maschinenbau meets Young Professionals - Jan Vogt, HAHN Automation
Main actor in part 3 is Jan Vogt from VDMA member HAHN Automation in Rheinböllen in the Hunsrück. He is team leader in the area "Robot & Vision" and explains the exciting facets of his job as well as the special features of HAHN as an employer.
Humans – Machines – Progress – The film
Machines improve our lives – on a large and small scale. Whether for our health, food or the many means of transportation that we use; whether we are looking at the ground deep below the sea or from high above – we need machines and people who utilize their skills to make the world a better place to live. That is the aim of mechanical and plant engineering. Humans – Machines – Progress.
