Material and supply bottlenecks put the brakes on industry activity
Frankfurt, May 30, 2022 – A– Especially in view of climate change and its effects on our environment, the responsible use of water in a way that conserves resources is the order of the day. Worldwide, clean and high-quality drinking water is needed for the population as well as sufficient water for agriculture and industry. "German valve manufacturers are well aware of the diverse challenges of water supply," explains Wolfgang Burchard, Managing Director of the VDMA Valves Association. "At this year's IFAT in Munich, the world's leading trade fair for water and wastewater management, our manufacturers are pleased to finally be able to properly present their appropriately tailored solutions again, from water extraction to water treatment. The aim of their offerings remains to promote the responsible use of our valuable resource."
High-quality valves also in demand abroad
The range of products offered by the valves industry is large and the topic of digitalisation is currently creating new sales prospects. However, German manufacturers are also successful in countries and regions where primarily basic products and services are in demand. In 2021, for example, the export business of German industrial valve manufacturers recovered quickly after a weak previous year due to Corona. In total, industrial valves worth around 4.5 billion euros were exported abroad. This corresponds to an increase of 9.5 per cent compared to the previous year.
The export business with China, the most important trading partner, has rapidly picked up speed and, at plus 11.4 per cent, is clearly above the previous year's level. Fittings worth 619.7 million euros were delivered to the People's Republic. In contrast, exports to the second most important customer country, the USA, rose by only 5.7 per cent to 383.2 million euros. They are thus still well below the pre-crisis level of 436.4 million euros. Exports to France increased by a strong 14.5 per cent. The country thus continues to hold third place among the most important sales markets with a sales volume of 257.6 million euros.
Backlog of orders is easing only hesitantly
Overall, the German industrial valves sector achieved only a slight increase in sales of 1 per cent in 2021. Domestic business stagnated. Only business in the euro area recovered strongly and climbed by 11 per cent. Order books filled up during the year. "Due to material shortages and supply bottlenecks, manufacturers were not yet able to process many orders," Burchard points out. "As a result of the war in Ukraine and the Corona-related partial shutdowns in China, the supply bottlenecks have recently worsened again. We therefore expect only a hesitant reduction of the high order backlog."
In the first quarter, the consequences of the war were not yet noticeable in the order intake. Orders increased by 12 per cent. Turnover was also still 12 per cent up on the same period last year. In Germany, sales fell by 2 per cent due to a weaker start to the year. In contrast, sales abroad were 21 percent higher.
The VDMA Valves Association will be represented at IFAT from 30 May to 3 June 2022 on the VDMA joint stand in Hall B2, 250. During a VDMA Valves Solution Tour on 1 June, participants will find out which topics are currently relevant and learn about sustainable solutions from different areas of the valves industry.
Do you have any further questions? Inga Kelkenberg, VDMA Valves,
Phone 069 6603 1549, inga.kelkenberg@vdma.org, will be happy to answer.
The VDMA represents more than 3,400 German and European companies of the mechanical engineering industry. The industry stands for innovation, export orientation and medium-sized businesses. The companies employ around four million people in Europe, more than one million of them in Germany. Mechanical and plant engineering represents a European turnover volume of around 800 billion euros. With a net value added of around 270 billion euros, it contributes the highest share of the entire manufacturing sector to the European gross domestic product.
http://www.ishipoffshore.com/html/19/2022-04-30/15545.htm
http://www.ishipoffshore.com/html/11/2022-04-16/15435.htm
