Germany leads PCB industry in Europe

About 40% of all European PCBs are produced in Germany. In 2007, 80 PCB manufacturers with 9,220 employees produced PCB corresponding to a value of € 1,039 million.

Main customers segment for the German PCBs was the automotive electronics sector with 36.6%, followed by the electronics industry with 30% and telecommunications with 10.7%. The information technology segment accounted for 7%, consumer electronics for 4.7%, medical technology account for 2% and military technology for just under 1%. Other were 11%.

The number of employees in Germany grew from 8,780 in 2006 to 9,220 in 2007, an increase of just over 5%.

Positive development in Germany continues
The market volume in Germany in 2007 amounted to € 1,445 million - an increase of 2.5%. Main customer segments were the automotive electronics with 33.6% and the electronics industry with 29.4%. The telecommunications sector accounted for 22%, followed by the segments of information technology (9%) and consumer electronics (6.2%). For 2008, an increase of 2.6% to €1,482 million is predicted.

"In order to continue successfully in today’s market, a company needs to respond to costumer wishes in a flexible and innovative way," said Dr. Wolfgang Bochtler, chairman of the VdL. "The close cooperation as well as the supply chain is a big plus for market success. Moreover, the local industry also has soft location factors such as social skills and customer service. These are essential for consulting intense services and products."