From January to November 2015, production in the electrical and electronics industry grew by 0.6% compared to the previous year. Turnover - which also includes services and software and is subject to currency effects - grew much more strongly by 3.7% to €162.2 billion. For 2015 as a whole, the ZVEI is forecasting industry sales of just under €178 billion. Revenue in the five largest specialist areas developed as follows: Automation saw an increase of 4.7% to €44.7 billion. Components increased by 9.3% to 19.3 billion euros, while consumer durables grew by 2.3% to 16.2 billion euros. Energy technology increased its turnover by 3.0% to 11.6 billion euros and medical technology by 15.7% to 9.9 billion euros.

Foreign trade developed dynamically last year - the ZVEI expects exports (including re-exports) to reach a new record of around 174 billion euros. Boosted by the exchange rate, exports to the USA increased particularly strongly. They grew by 16.2% to 14.5 billion euros from January to November 2015. The United States was therefore once again the most important customer country ahead of China, which came second in the customer ranking with 13.6 billion euros. Exports to China rose only slightly by 0.5%.

For 2016, the ZVEI expects the industry's price-adjusted production to increase by 1% and turnover by 2%. Despite the moderate growth, the ZVEI is expecting a new record: "We are once again on course for industry sales of 182 billion euros, which we achieved once before in the record year of 2008," said Dr. Klaus Mittelbach at the association's annual press conference.

Industry 4.0: "2016 will be the year of implementation!"

Dr. Mittelbach was optimistic when it came to Industry 4.0: "We took important steps forward in 2015. 2016 will be the first big year for the implementation of Industry 4.0 in companies." The Industry 4.0 reference architecture model (RAMI 4.0) developed by the ZVEI has developed successfully and could soon be submitted to international standardization committees as a DIN SPEC. In addition, new structures were created in 2015 with the expanded'Plattform Industrie 4.0' and the'Labs Network Industrie 4.0'.

According to Dr. Mittelbach, one of the most important projects this year is a project that the ZVEI launched this month with RWTH Aachen University: The 'openAAS' (AAS = Asset Administration Shell) project aims to provide an open development and test environment for companies in the electrical industry and their mechanical engineering customers to design communication between devices on the "store floor" and the Internet of Things, Services and People.

He also doubts the statement that we have "lost the first half" of the Internet of Things and data in this country. "We don't see it that way - the match is extremely exciting and remains open. It is true that the American internet industry is ahead of us in the development of data-based business models - it understands better how to create value from data ('smart data'). Our companies, on the other hand, are at the forefront of 'things'. Our starting position is excellent where the world of IT meets the real world - in drives, control systems and sensors. We are world class when it comes to embedded systems," explains Dr. Mittelbach.