Karl Haeusgen elected as new President

The VDMA General Assembly has elected Munich-based family entrepreneur Karl Haeusgen as the new VDMA President for the next four years.
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The VDMA General Assembly has elected Munich-based family entrepreneur Karl Haeusgen as the new VDMA President for the next four years.

Sebastian Merz was elected as the new Chairman of the Executive Board of the VDMA Surface Technology Division.

Incoming orders in mechanical engineering
Incoming orders in the mechanical and plant engineering sector also fell by a double-digit percentage in July, although the decline has slowed noticeably, the VDMA announced.

Ralf Winkelmann, Managing Director of Fanuc Germany and Vice President of Fanuc Europe Corporation, is a new member of the board of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association.

The training of junior staff is playing a major role in mechanical engineering during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the VDMA member survey, companies have taken on around 85% of their trainees this year.

According to the VDMA, machinery exports from Germany were hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic in the second quarter. However, the downturn slowed slightly in June.

The global economy, weakened by trade disputes and political upheaval, was further impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the VDMA. This is also reflected in the significant drop in orders in the mechanical and plant engineering sector.

The majority of mechanical engineering companies are confident that they will achieve nominal sales increases again in 2021. This is the key message of the 7th VDMA flash survey on the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the VDMA, the decline in incoming orders in the mechanical and plant engineering sector continued as expected in May. Orders fell by 28% in real terms compared to the previous year.

The German robotics and automation industry cannot escape the economic consequences of the coronavirus crisis - VDMA R+A currently expects sales to fall by at least 20%. However, the growth prospects for the period after Covid-19 are positive.