VDMA survey shows sales growth for the surface technology industry
The economic situation in the surface technology sector is satisfactory. The spring flash survey conducted by the General Air Treatment Association identified a nominal 8 percent increase in sales for the surface technology sector in 2022. For the current year 2023, companies in the sector are expecting nominal sales growth of 6 percent.
According to the VDMA survey, the reasons for the positive development in the surface technology sector are the opening up of new customer industries for coating systems, such as battery production. In addition, the maintenance business is increasing, as old equipment is not being replaced but overhauled in the best possible way. The growing demand for automation and digitalization plays an important role here. This is because the use of modern surface technology in connection with the conversion and expansion of the energy supply, offers great energy-saving potential both for new plants and for existing plants. Despite the positive business trend in surface technology, uncertainty can be felt in the market. On the one hand, companies have high order backlogs which are currently being processed. On the other hand, customers are hesitant to place new orders, partly due to a general reluctance to invest. In addition, delivery dates cannot be met as planned due to a lack of components in production. This in turn will lead to a shift in sales from the previous year to 2023.
The current reluctance of end consumers to spend is dampening the propensity to invest in customer industries in the coating technology sector. For example, the automotive supply industry and the furniture industry - two important customer industries for surface technology - are affected. In addition, rising interest rates are making business more difficult, both in terms of new investments and in terms of stockpiling to safeguard supply capability. The multitude of current challenges and crises, and thus the combination of possible scenarios as well as the derivation of options for action from them, pose a significant challenge to companies. In addition, there are constantly increasing bureaucratic burdens, which have already reached a level that is almost unmanageable for medium-sized companies.