Printed circuit board: ZVEI association sees industry well positioned (Photo: pixabay.com, moritz320)
According to industry association ZVEI, order volume has increased by 3.2 per cent within a year
The German electrical and digital industry sees itself as having made a stable start to the new year. According to industry association ZVEI, order volume has increased by 3.2 per cent within a year. Three per cent more orders were received from domestic customers in January. Foreign customers increased their orders by 3.5 per cent.
Eurozone versus third countries
‘However, there was a large discrepancy in foreign demand between orders from the eurozone and those from third countries outside the common currency area,’ said ZVEI Chief Economist Andreas Gontermann. Orders from the eurozone rose by 12.5 per cent in January, while those from third countries declined slightly by 0.9 per cent.
For 2025 as a whole, order intake in the German electrical and digital industry rose by 5.7 per cent, a figure that has since been revised slightly. Domestic orders hardly increased (up 0.2 per cent). Foreign orders rose even more strongly, up 10.2 per cent (up 8.1 per cent in the eurozone and up 11.2 per cent in other countries).
Output below expectations
Despite the positive news, real production of electrical and electronic goods in Germany fell 2.9 per cent short of the previous year’s figure in January 2026. By way of comparison, in 2025, aggregate price-adjusted industry output fell slightly again by 0.3 per cent. For this year, the ZVEI is again expecting a moderate increase in production of two per cent.
In terms of sales, the industry generated a nominal €17.6 billion in January of this year – an increase of 2.9 per cent over the previous year’s figure. Domestic sales rose by 5.5 per cent year-on-year to €8.4 billion. Foreign customers accounted for an increase of 0.8 per cent to €9.2 billion. Here, slightly less turnover was achieved in the eurozone (down one per cent to €3.4 billion), while third-country partners accounted for an increase of 1.7 per cent to €5.8 billion.
Last year, the value of turnover in the German electrical and digital industry reached €226.8 billion – an increase of three per cent compared to 2024.
