The Devil's Wheel accelerates

Anyone who previously considered Donald Trump to be primarily known for his fondness for facial tanning is now realizing that the President of the United States has taken the world by surprise. Venezuela appears to have barely been absorbed into the power politics, yet he is already accelerating the process, and suddenly Greenland, which is of enormous geostrategic importance, has become a bargaining chip. Could anyone in recent decades have seriously imagined that an American president would have the chutzpah to rely on the most powerful and battle-hardened military in the world as a means of offensive pressure against the post-war allies? Nothing like this has ever happened since 1945 – the US has always been a steadfast ally.

In this environment, our alliance of nationally conscious states will have to quickly reinvent itself if European independence is to be maintained. This presents opportunities. After all, anyone who is serious about strategic autonomy must translate this into industrial policy, energy supply, securing raw materials, defense capabilities – and also into the ability to act in trade policy. The eco-absolutism that is so firmly established in Europe could finally be pushed out of the front row.

Even if the current reactions to Trump's Greenland announcement are not exactly intimidating, the EU seems united in its refusal to simply accept Trump's plans. That would be a good thing, because if Trump gets away with annexing Greenland without serious opposition, he will quickly come up with many more ideas. Even though COVID-19 and the attack on Ukraine have caused a lot of turmoil, we should still tighten our seatbelts a little more for 2026. After all, the rules of the game as we know them will no longer be reliable once MAGA takes effect on a global scale.

Preparation beats illusion

This brings us to what concerns us as a trade magazine: in a world where economic interests are enforced with great political power, the only thing that helps is to be prepared for worst-case scenarios. And despite the dramatic nature of developments, this is precisely the remarkable core message from the companies that took part in our annual forecast survey: The surface industry is starting 2026 "without illusions, but with a clear stance." After years of constant uncertainty, crisis mode has become the norm in many places – and companies are responding with sobriety, resilience, and determination.

This attitude is not fueled by false optimism, but by crisis competence: global trade conflicts, volatile markets, high energy prices, and a dense regulatory environment shape everyday life – and hardly any company currently expects any serious relief. What follows is crucial: not retreat, but action. Investments are being made in an even more targeted manner, often in the form of modernization, automation, and efficiency improvements in existing facilities; brownfield and retrofit projects are gaining in importance; service and aftermarket businesses are stabilizing. Digitalization, AI, and data-based processes are being used pragmatically – not as buzzwords, but as tools to make processes more robust, transparent, and economical.

Sustainability appears less as a moral self-assurance and more as a technical and economic task: feasible, affordable, effective – where efficiency, resource conservation, and cost reduction come together. At the same time, the red line is clearly defined: there must be no further permanent, systemic weakening of Germany and Europe as business locations – otherwise, our current prosperity will very soon reach a point of no return.

Perhaps this is the most realistic conclusion that can be drawn at the beginning of 2026: we are experiencing a world in which geopolitical power games have a more immediate impact on markets – and in which Europe must reposition itself between self-assertion and pressure to adapt. But in the factory halls, in the coating lines, in the electroplating shops, in the planning offices, an old, unspectacular phrase is gaining new prominence: you cannot choose the situation – but you can choose how to react to it. Our industry is showing that it can react without being carried along by events: shaping rather than just reacting, staying on course rather than veering off track.

With this in mind – stabilize your position!