The peaceful rose-colored glasses that Europe put on in the 1990s have been shattered and a multipolar world is unfolding in which it may be time to build new alliance structures. Looking at the prospects of this new world order, it is clear that many decisions, whether economic, political or legislative, will have to be evaluated more and more from a strategic point of view in the future. Unfortunately, this is something that Europe has completely lost sight of in recent decades. The fact that Europe has relied more and more on the deterrence of big brother USA for its defense capability has so far only met with limited criticism across Europe. Now it is suddenly becoming clear how costly this dependence could be. To make matters worse, large parts of European industry have the Asian continent as a central element in their supply chain. Together, these two factors make us very vulnerable to political pressure. In this context, it is crucial to prevent further important and strategically significant industries from turning their backs on Germany and Europe. Only with the necessary autonomy will Europe be able to assert its own independence and self-determination in a multipolar world in the long term.
Surface technology at the center of developments
The German parliamentary elections have shown that appeasement towards aggressors and ignorance of what companies need to function are no longer acceptable to the majority. Friedrich Merz, the new Federal Chancellor in Spe, promises a consistent economic policy and a strengthening of Europe. Even the old Bundestag is set to approve record sums of special funds in order to allow some room for maneuver when it comes to military investments and infrastructure in general. This gives us hope that the urgently needed change of course will actually take place. European industry must become more resilient in many respects, both in terms of energy supply and its price. Independence from raw materials and a technological edge are also key to remaining globally competitive.
From developments on the global market and energy issues to bureaucracy and regulation - surface technology is at the heart of many of these developments and challenges. Unsurprisingly, the issues currently affecting the industry revolve around energy efficiency, resource conservation and process optimization. The 34th Powder Symposium Dresden showed just how much the industry has moved in this direction. Technologies that help compensate for the shortage of skilled workers are still very popular. Read more in our detailed report in the March 2025 print edition from page 20.
Setting the course outside the comfort zone
Ultimately, our industry faces a dual challenge: it must respond to geopolitical uncertainties and at the same time invest in technological progress. After all, the applications, technological innovations and strategies presented in this issue make it clear that surface technology is capable of making a decisive contribution to the future viability of European industry. The new world situation is driving Europe out of its comfort zone - but this could be the occasion to finally correct the course in politics, administration and business and thus open up a wide range of new opportunities. Surface technology will undoubtedly play its part in this.
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