10.2% more domestic orders and 14.6% more international orders were recorded in the factory automation sector in January and February of this year compared to the same period last year. This was reported by the ZVEI.
Strong growth impulses are coming primarily from the Asian region, primarily from China, followed by the USA. Holger Schulte, new Chairman of the ZVEI Switchgear, Controlgear and Industrial Controls Division: "The incipient recovery since the fall is continuing. Almost all indicators point to a positive growth rate for the rest of the year."

However, factory automation is still concerned about supply chains. "The existing shortages of raw materials for plastics, copper, steel and semiconductors are now putting a lot of pressure on a number of companies," says Schulte.

New Chairman

Holger Schulte succeeds Roland Bent as Chairman of the ZVEI Switchgear, Controlgear and Industrial Controls Division.

© Wöhner

Holger Schulte, Manager Corporate Technology at Wöhner, is the new Chairman of the ZVEI Switchgear, Controlgear and Industrial Controls Division. He succeeds Roland Bent from Phoenix Contact, who retired on March 1, 2021. Schulte's deputies are Martin Müller, Phoenix Contact, and Dr. Markus Platen, Siemens. The ZVEI specialist area assumes that the topics of renewable energies, electromobility and the circular economy will continue to have a decisive impact on the industry in the coming years. "The components in industrial control systems or switchgear may seem inconspicuous, but they are of central importance in combating the consequences of climate change," says Schulte.