Unternehmen & Trends - Digitalausgabe 2/2021

17 Editorial Dear Readers, we have come through the crisis better than expected and have clearly set the course for growth again: This short but clear state- ment describes the current state of the German automation industry. While the closely related mechanical engineering sector had to record production declines of up to 28 percent in 2020 due to the pandemic, the sales losses in the automation sector remained com- paratively moderate at seven percent. And with double-digit sales growth in the first half of the year, the pre-crisis standard should be reached again in 2021. However, there are risks here as well - less on the demand side, but rather in the question of the availability of key components such as semiconductors or other electronic or mecha- tronic components. The automation industry is once again proving its role as a job engine. At the end of 2020, approximately 258,000 people were employed in the automation sector. It is remarkable that it has largely succeeded in keeping skilled workers on board despite the crisis and thus creat- ing the conditions for future growth. And the industry is taking advantage of the re-opened opportunity to publicly demonstrate its performance and innovation capabilities with SPS – Smart Production Solutions. From 23. November 2021, around 750 exhibitors will present their products and solutions for smart and digital automation in Nuremberg. And expectations are high, given that almost two years have been spent in digital contact with customers and experts. For this very reason, one of the focal points will be live demonstrations, expert lectures and the oppor- tunity for personal exchange and networking. The trade fair forum jointly organised by the VDMA and ZVEI associations provides the stage for this. The contributions in this issue reflect the high level of development and innovation not only in the automation industry, but also in related areas such as IT and consulting. With this digital-only edition, we are once again giving you, dear readers, the opportunity to obtain significantly more background and additional information via links, interactions and networking to web content and social media than is possible in print-only articles. Our thanks go to all authors and advertisers for their excellent co- operation. You are cordially invited to contribute your articles and advertisements to the next issue, which is expected to appear in spring 2022. Your editors www.vek-onlineservice.de Dr. Rudolf Müller Elisabeth Klock