automotive extra

39 EDITORIAL The high cost pressures in the automotive industry, the demand for more efficient production chains, as well as the need to cope with shorter modelling cycles and an ever-increasing number of variants, call for the use of plants and machinery that guarantee outstanding reliability and flexibility. German mechanical and plant engineering is an important supplier to the automotive sector, and a major percentage of its revenues comes from the automotive or automotive supply industry. The growing demands placed on the automotive industry, such as the global networking of production capacities, the long-term increase in the degree of automation, and the investment in capacities for producing electric and hybrid vehicles, will also present new opportunities for the growth market mechanical and plant engineering. 
 With nearly one million employees at more than 6,000 facilities and annual turnover of approx. Euro 220 billion, mechanical and plant engineering is one of the most essential pillars of German industry. As the core of the capital goods industry, its complex products for all areas of the economy allow it to shape Germany’s industrial performance like no other sector. With an export rate of 77% and a volume of Euro 151.1 billion, German mechanical and plant engineering is the worldwide market leader, its 16% market share placing it ahead of China, the US and Japan. Account- ing for 55% of sales, Europe is the most important market for machinery “made in Germany”. 70% of the companies are global players or exporters, and 60% consider their portfolio to lie in the premium segment. German mechanical and plant engineering is also a motor of economic growth: between 2010 and 2012, companies in this sector reported average annual growth of nearly 10%. For the past several years, invest- ments have remained stable at approx. Euro 6.5 billion, and internal R&D spending at approx. Euro 5.5 billion per year. According to figures from the Federal Government, mechanical and plant engineering is one of Germany’s most innovative industries, as it plays a major part in the development and use of cutting-edge technologies. Investments in innovation amount to approx. 10% of turnover. Nationwide, 43,000 men and women are employed in research and development. Measured in terms of sector-wide turnover, mechanical and plant engineering comes in at second place behind automotive manufacturing – due to the fact that the automotive industry primarily produces large- scale production runs, whereas small batches and made-to-order production are dominant in mechanical engineering. Furthermore, German mechanical and plant engineering is chiefly characterised by mid-sized companies, an aspect that greatly contributes to its flexibility and spirit of innovation. With this special cross-medial issue of automotive extra, VEK Verlag and Springer Fachmedien have combined their considerable expertise in a professional special issue that simultaneously addresses its target groups through different channels. Dr. Rudolf Müller Volker Hesedenz VEK Verlag Springer Fachmedien Sources: ifo-Institut; Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt); Stifterverband für die deutsche Wirtschaft; VDMA Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau e.V.) Plant and mechanical engineering – an important partner to the automotive industry