The North Rhine Westphalian Metal and Electronics Industry in 2015

With approximately 3.8 million employees the metals and electronics industry (M+E industry) is the largest industry sector in Germany. In 2015 alone over 700,000 persons were employed in over 5,700 companies in North Rhine Westphalia. Production in the North Rhine Westphalian M+E industry declined by 1.3% last year. Total production in metal and electronics companies has been declining for the past three to four years. Overall, the results from the first quarter of 2016 do not indicate signs of any significant improvement in the M+E Industry in North Rhine Westphalia over the course of this year. Indeed, it would be a minor success if production were to remain at last year's level in 2015. Further developments will be influenced by various uncertainty factors that will primarily impact the M+E industry, which depends heavily on foreign trade. These factors include uncertainty over developments on China and other emerging economies, as well as trends in the price of oil and other commodities. Influencing factors also include political processes, especially developments in the EU as a result of the referendum in Britain, as well as in the crisis regions of the Near and Middle East.