© Siemens

The Process Industries and Drives division can report further signs of stabilization in markets close to raw materials and an increase in incoming orders. However, demand for mechanical components fell sharply compared to the previous year. In geographical terms, order intake grew in all regions, with particularly strong contributions from China and Germany. In addition, the growth in sales revenue in the large drives and process automation business was outweighed by declines in other businesses. The company owes the increase in earnings primarily to a particularly strong performance in the process automation business.