Electroplating and surface technology is dependent on the development of the industry as a whole. This has been in decline since 2021. While the economic situation in electroplating and surface technology was surprisingly positive for a long time, a different picture has emerged since the late summer of 2023: sales are falling, sometimes by double digits. According to the association, this negative trend will not be reversed until 2028 at the earliest: long-term automotive studies predict rising production and sales figures in Europe from 2028 onwards, while design studies promise a comeback for plastic-metallized components at the same time.
The members of the ZVO Chemicals and Plants division, the association of raw material and process chemistry suppliers and plant and component manufacturers, do not have high expectations for business development in 2024. The current uncertainties, concerns about the overall economic development in Germany and the many global economic turbulences were therefore the main topics of discussion at the fall meeting of the Chemicals and Plants Division. The business development of the Industrial Coaters specialist area, whose members mainly offer cathodic corrosion protection, was completely acyclical until the first quarter. The economic situation still looked good until the second half of 2023. However, since the late summer of 2023, sales have been falling noticeably here too, sometimes by double digits. Large numbers of redundancies have already been recorded, and the market for temporary workers, which was empty up until September, has since been offering sufficient supply again.