Outsourcing is increasing slowly

The total volume of products and services purchased is rising steadily in relation to turnover,
also in the mechanical and electrical engineering industries.

Slowly but surely,
the mechanical and electrical engineering chain is transforming itself along the lines of
the automotive chain. This process has progressed furthest among large mechanical and
electrical engineering companies; the SME sector has only followed the trend to a limited
extent up to now but even among companies in this sector the process will continue. The
need for German manufacturers to focus on developing high-tech products and specialisation
to remain ahead of China (and to survive) means that a larger share of their investment
budget will be devoted to research and product development.

Funds devoted to research
cannot be invested in expansion or modernisation of production capacity, so the demand for
production partners will grow.