Country Report - Germany
After growth of 4.8% in 2017 and a more modest 2.2% in 2018 electronics output posted a decline of 3.7% in 2019 as demand in key export markets weakened during the year and the domestic economy eased. The prospects of a return to growth in 2020 have been short-lived as the coronavirus outbreak, which was initially seen as disruption to the supply chain in China, escalated to a global pandemic. As a result, overall electronics production is now forecast to decline by 10.3% with significant downside risks to the outlook. Germany’s electronics industry is dominated by industrial electronics and in particular control and instrumentation. After posting growth of 6.9% in 2017 growth eased to 3.9% in 2018 before declining by 4.6% in 2019 on the back of falling exports and weaker domestic demand, most notably from the automotive sector, but also across other manufacturing industries. In 2020, output is expected to post a double-digit decline as COVID-19 impacts both domestic and global markets. Medical electronics output, after declining in both 2016 and 2017, posted a modest increase of 1.8% in 2018 and a more substantial rise of 5.1% in 2019. COVID-19 will lead to opportunities for the medical sector in 2020, especially for equipment essential to the treatment of the virus. At the same time, demand for other equipment will be more modest or even decline. As a result, growth in output is expected to ease to 3.0% for the year as a whole. Components accounted for 25.5% of electronics output in 2019. The production of active components declined by 4.2% in 2019 and compared to a fall of 2.6% in the prior year. The production of discrete semiconductors, excluding photocells declined by 3.1% in-line with the overall weaker market. In contrast, the production of photocells increased by 6.1% on the back of stronger growth for solar although it remains significantly lower than 2016 when output topped Euro 1.0 billion. Once a major player globally the German photovoltaic industry has undergone a major restructuring in recent years in the face of increased competition from Chinese manufacturers.
Table of Contents
Economic Overview
Industry Structure
Production Data 2017-2020
Market Data 2017-2023
Methodologies/Guide to Statistics
Product Coverage
Computing
Office Equipment
Control & Instrumentation
Medical & Industrial
Radio Communications
Telecommunications
Consumer
Semiconductors
Passive Components
Other Components
The Germany Electronics Industry Report provides essential market intelligence for all sizes of company from small enterprises to major global groups and for financial/management consultancies, government agencies and academia requiring a reliable overview of the electronics industry in Germany.
Last Update: May 2020